THE  GIFT  OF 

MAY  TREAT  MORRISON 
IN  MEMORY  OF 

ALEXANDER  F  MORRISON 


AMERICAN   BIOGRAPHY, 


JEREMY  BELKNAP,   D.D 


ADDITIONS      AND      NOTES 


BY    F.    M.    H  U  B  B  A  RD. 


IN  THREE  VOLUMES. 
VOL.    I. 


NEW     YORK: 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,   PUBLISHERS, 
329    &    331    PEARL    STREET, 

FRANKLIN    SQUARE. 

1855. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1841,  by 

HARPEK  &  BROTHERS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  South*-:*  District  of  New-York 


PUBLISHERS'  ADVERTISEMENT. 


IN  continuing  their  series  of  AMERICAN  BIOGRA- 
PHY, the  publishers  believe  that  no  work  is  more 
worthy  of  a  place  in  it  than  the  excellent  one  of 
BELKNAP,  a  new  edition  of  which  they  now  offer. 
The  very  frequent  reference  to  it  as  an  authority  by 
more  recent  writers  of  American  history,  the  uni- 
form acknowledgment  of  its  singular  accuracy  by 
those  who  have  had  occasion  to  investigate  anew 
the  lives  of  those  of  whom  Dr.  Belknap  has  written, 
the  correctness  of  his  judgment,  his  candour,  and  the 
elegance  of  his  style,  render  it  unnecessary  for  them 
to  say  anything  farther  in  commendation  of  these 
volumes.  They  were  originally  prepared  with  great 
labour,  and  with  a  scrupulous  adherence  to  facts, 
and  it  is  believed  that  the  notes  and  additions  to  the 
present  edition  have  been  not  less  laboriously  and 
faithfully  made. 

The  publishers  have  omitted  three  sketches  which 
were  in  the  original  work,  viz.,  the  lives  of  Cabot, 
Smith,  and  Hudson,  for  the  reason  that  memoirs  of 
the  same  individual^,  jsqm.e,wha^  \pore  full,  have  been 


VI  ADVERTISEMENT. 

already  published  by  them  in  former  volumes   of 
their  series. 

The  additions  to  the  author's  text,  which  has  been 
exactly  followed,  are  enclosed  in  brackets,  and  the 
notes  of  the  editor  are  marked  by  brackets  and  the 
letter  H.  H.  &  B. 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 


IN  preparing  a  new  edition  of  a  work  so  highly 
esteemed  for  its  exactness  and  impartiality,  the  edi- 
tor has  had  a  twofold  labour.  He  has  re-examined 
all  the  statements  of  facts  made  by  Dr.  Belknap, 
and  compared  them  with  the  authorities  he  used, 
and  with  others  which  were  not  accessible  when  he 
wrote.  It  has  been  very  seldom  that  he  has  found 
occasion  to  differ  from  Dr.  Belknap,  and  that  most 
frequently  in  cases  in  which  documents  recently  dis- 
covered have  thrown  light  upon  subjects  which  the 
want  of  them  rendered  necessarily  obscure.  It  is 
believed  that  no  work  has  been  published  of  such 
magnitude,  embracing  such  a  variety  of  persons  and 
events,  and  extending  over  a  period  of  more  than 
six  hundred  years,  in  which  so  few,  and  those  so 
unimportant,  errors  are  to  be  found.  The  manu- 
script collections  yet  remaining,  from  which  the 
work  was  originally  written,  prove  a  degree  of  care, 
ful  diligence,  and  a  discriminating  and  impartial 
judgment,  which  have  been  rarely  exercised  by  the 
historical  inquirer. 


yiil  PREFACE. 

The  second  part  of  the  editor's  labour  has  been 
to  add  occasional  illustrations  and  notes.  These  it 
was  thought  proper  to  make  chiefly  biographical. 
They  have  gradually  swelled  much  beyond  his  ori- 
ginal design ;  but  it  would  have  been  more  easy  to 
make  them  larger  than  smaller.  They  have  been 
prepared  with  much  care,  and  it  is  hoped  that  they 
may  not  prove  entirely  unworthy  of  the  excellent 
work  to  which  they  are  added.  In  most  cases  he 
has  given  a  reference  to  the  sources  on  which  he 
has  relied,  not  for  ostentation,  but  because  some  of 
his  readers  may  choose  to  investigate  and  compare 
for  themselves,  and  because  his  own  statement  might 
not  have  the  weight  of  an  authority. 

F.  M.  H. 

Northampton,  Mass.,  May,  1841. 


AUTHOR   S    ADVERTISEMENT. 


No  apology  is  necessary  for  the  appearance  of  this 
work,  if  its  utility  be  admitted. 

My  first  intention  was  to  place  the  names  in  alpha- 
betical  order  ;  but,  on  farther  consideration,  it  was 
found  to  be  impracticable,  unless  the  whole  work 
were  before  me  at  one  view.  A  chronological  ar- 
rangement appeared,  on  the  whole,  equally  proper, 
and  more  in  my  power.  Should  any  deviation  from 
the  exact  order  take  place,  it  must  be  ascribed  to  a 
deficiency  of  materials ;  which,  however,  it  is  hoped, 
will  be  supplied  at  some  future  time. 

Boston,  January,  1794. 


THE  author  is  so  much  indebted  to  HAKLUYT  and 
PURCHAS,  that  he  thinks  it  but  just  to  give  some 
account  of  them  and  their  writings. 

RICHARD  HAKLTTYT,  prebendary  of  Westminster, 
was  born  in  Herefordshire,  1553.  He  early  turned 
his  attention  to  geography,  and  read  lectures  in  that 
science  at  Oxford,  where  he  was  educated,  and  where 
he  introduced  maps  and  globes  into  the  public  schools. 


X  ADVERTISEMENT. 

In  1582  he  published  a  small  collection  of  voyages  and 
discoveries ;  and  going  two  years  after  as  chaplain  to 
Sir  Edward  Stafford,  ambassador  to  France,  he  there 
met  with  and  published  a  MS.  entitled  The  Notable 
History  of  Florida,  ~by  Laudonnierre  and  other  Adven- 
turers. He  returned  to  England  in  1588,  when  he 
applied  himself  to  collect,  translate,  and  digest  all  the 
voyages,  journals,  and  letters  that  he  could  procure, 
which  he  published  first  in  one  volume,  1589,  to  which 
he  afterward  added  two  others,  and  reprinted  the 
first  in  1599  and  1600.  He  was  a  man  of  indefati- 
gable  diligence  and  great  integrity  ;  much  in  favour 
with  Queen  Elizabeth's  ministry,  and  largely  conver- 
sant with  seamen.  He  died  in  1616,  and  his  man- 
uscripts fell  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Purchas.— Wood 
and  Northouck. 

A  complete  set  of  Hakluyt's  voyages  is  in  the  li- 
brary of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

SAMUEL  PURCHAS  was  born  at  Thackstead,  in  'Es- 
sex, 1577,  and  educated  at  Cambridge.  He  was  first 
vicar  of  Eastwood,  in  Essex,  then  rector  of  St.  Mar- 
tin's, London.  He  published  a  folio  volume,  entitled 
Purchas  his  Pilgrimage,  or  Relations  of  the  World 
and  the  Religions  observed,  in  all  Ages  and  Places, 
&c.  The  third  edition  of  it  is  dated  1617.  When 
Mr.  Hakluyt's  papers  fell  into  his  hands,  he  compiled 


ADVERTISEMENT.  XI 

four  other  volumes,  which  were  printed  1625  ;  they 
are  entitled,  Purchas  his  Pilgrims.  Part  i.,  ii.,  iii.,  iv. 
The  whole  makes  a  set  of  five  volumes.  They  con- 
sist of  journals,  letters,  narratives,  translations,  and 
abridgments,  comprehending  all  the  travels  and  dis- 
coveries made  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  are,  with 
Hakluyt's  work,  the  largest  and  most  authentic  col- 
lection of  the  kind  extant  for  that  time.  By  the  pub- 
lishing of  this  voluminous  work  Purchas  brought  him- 
self into  debt,  and  it  has  been  said  that  he  died  in 
prison ;  but  Northouck  says  he  died  in  his  own  house 
in  London,  1628. 

A  complete  set  of  Purchas's  Pilgrims  is  in  the  li- 
brary of  Harvard  College. 
I.— B 


SKETCH 

OK   THK 

LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 

OF  THE    LATE 

REVEREND    DOCTOR    BELKNAP.* 


JEREMY  BELKNAP,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Federal-street,  was  born  in  this  town  June  4, 
174-4  5  had  the  rudiments  of  his  education  at  the 
Grammar  School  under  the  care  of  the  celebra- 
ted Mr.  Lord,  and  entered  Harvard  College  in 
1758. 

He  discovered,  at  this  early  period,  such  marks 
of  genius  and  taste,  such  talents  for  composi- 
tion, such  a  flow  of  sentiment  in  conversation, 
as  to  engage  the  esteem  of  the  students,  and  ar- 
rest the  attention  of  his  instructers.  His  friends 
anticipated  a  life  that  would  be  distinguished, 
and  soon  beheld,  with  satisfaction,  that  it  would 
be  eminently  useful. 

Having  received  the  honours  of  the  Universi- 
ty in  1762,  he  applied  his  mind  to  the  various 
branches  of  science  ;  but,  feeling  very  serious 
impressions  of  Divine  truth,  he  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  theology ;  and,  the  more  he  studied,  the 
more  he  was  captivated  with  the  beauties  of  re- 

*  First  published  in  the  Columbian  Centinel,  June  25.  1798. 


Xiv  LIFE     AND     CHARACTER 

lio-ion.  The  whole  bent  of  his  soul  was  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  to  this  he  in  the  most 
solemn  manner  devoted  himself.  In  1763  he 
published  a  pathetic  elegy  upon  the  death  of  his 
minister,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Cuming,  which  dis- 
covered how  much  he  was  influenced  by  devo 
tional  sentiments. 

When  he  became  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  he 
was  invited  to  take  charge  of  the  church  at  Do- 
ver, in  New-Hampshire  ;  there  he  passed  several 
years  of  his  valuable  life  with  the  esteem  and 
affection  of  his  flock,  in  habits  of  intimacy  with 
ministers  and  other  gentlemen  of  the  neighbour- 
ing places,  all  of  whom  regretted  his  departure. 
He  received  marks  of  attention  and  respect  from 
the  first  characters  of  the  state,  who  persuaded 
and  encouraged  him  to  compile  a  history,  which 
does  much  honour  to  our  country,  and  has  given 
the  author  a  name  and  distinction  among  the 
first  literary  characters  of  the  age. 

Soon  after  Dr.  Belknap  had  left  the  church  in 
Dover,  the  Presbyterian  church  in  this  town  be- 
came vacant.  Having  agreed  to  form  their 
church  upon  Congregational  principles,  and  in- 
vited him  to  be  their  pastor,  he  accepted  the 
call,  and  was  installed  April  4th,  1787.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  agreeable  to  the  ministers 
and  people  of  the  other  churches,  and  to  all  who 
regarded  the  interests  of  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, with  which  he  became  officially  connect- 
ed, being  fully  confident  that  he  would  be  a 


O  F     1)  K.     B  K  L  K  N  A  P.  XV 

great  instrument  in  promoting  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion and  learning.  As  an  overseer  of  the  col- 
lege, he  was  attentive  to  the  concerns  of  the  in- 
stitution, always  taking  a  lively  interest  in  ev- 
erything that  respected  its  welfare. 

He  was  an  evangelical  preacher,  but  his  ser- 
sions  were  filled  with  a  rich  variety  of  observa- 
tions on  human  life  and  manners.  He  never 
aimed  at  a  splendid  diction,  but  a  vein  of  piety 
ran  through  his  discourses,  and  his  style  was 
uncommonly  elegant  and  perspicuous,  his  ar- 
rangements clear  and  luminous,  and  his  lan- 
guage adapted  to  the  subject.  He  was  sure  to 
gratify  equally  the  tastes  of  the  best  judges 
of  composition  and  the  humble  inquirers  after 
truth.  He  had  a  great  readiness  in  quoting  and 
applying  texts  of  Scripture,  and  had  read  much 
of  casuistic,  systematic,  and  polemical  divinity  ; 
bxit  he  chose  to  give  every  sentiment  a  practical 
turn,  and  to  diffuse  that  wisdom  which  is  profit- 
able to  direct. 

During  the  eleven  years  of  his  ministry  in  this 
place,  the  society  with  which  he  was  connected 
grew  and  flourished.  The  attachment  was  strong 
and  mutual.  While  they  admired  his  diligence 
and  fidelity,  he  received  from  them  every  testi- 
mony of  respect  which  marks  the  character  of  a 
kind  and  obliging  people. 

His  attentions  to  his  flock  were  founded  upon 
a  regard  to  them  and  the  interests  of  religion. 
He  was  their  sincere  and  affectionate  friend, 


XVI  LIFE     AND     CHARACTER 

and  he  experienced  peculiar  pleasure  in  giving 
religious  instruction  to  young  children.*  He 
was  very  active  in  encouraging  those  publica- 
tions which  are  designed  for  their  use  and  ben- 
efit, 

As  a  husband,  parent,  brother,  or  friend,  he 
was  tender,  affable,  kind,  and  obliging.  He 
gave  advice  with  cheerfulness,  and  with  an  at- 
tention to  the  concerns  of  his  friends  which  in- 
vited their  confidence. 

The  friends  of  Dr.  Belknap  were  numerous. 
His  acquaintance  was  much  increased  by  his  be- 
coming a  member  of  so  many  literary  and  be- 
nevolent societies  j  and  he  was  active  in  promo- 
ting the  good  of  every  association  to  which  he 
belonged :  wherever  he  could  be  of  any  service, 
he  freely  devoted  his  time  and  talents. 

The  Historical  Society  have  lost  their  most 
laborious  and  diligent  member,  and  the  founder 
of  their  institution.  No  man  ever  had  collected 
a  greater  number  of  facts,  circumstances,  and 
anecdotes,  or  a  more  valuable  compilation  of 
manuscripts,  which  might  give  information  and 
entertainment  to  all  those  who  wish  to  know  the 
history  of  their  own  country.  In  his  pursuits 
of  this  kind  he  frequently  met  with  disappoint- 
ment from  the  loss  of  valuable  papers  ;  and  he 
often  mentioned  to  his  friends  in  New-Hamp- 

*  In  this  pleasing  office  he  was  engaged  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  day  previous  to  his  decease,  at  a  public  catechising 
of  the.  children  of  his  society. 


OF    DR.     BELKNAP. 

shire  and  Boston,  that  it  was  necessary  to  pre- 
serve them  by  multiplying  copies,  and  making  it 
the  principal  duty  and  interest  of  an  association 
to  collect  them,  and  to  study  their  value.  The 
proposals  of  Dr.  Belknap  met  •with  the  approba- 
tion and  encouragement  of  several  gentlemen  in 
this  town  and  its  environs,  and  the  society  was 
incorporated  in  1794. 

As  an  author,  Dr.  Belknap  appears  with  great 
reputation,  whether  we  consider  his  fugitive 
performances,  which  often  appeared  without  a 
name,  or  his  larger  works,  which  have  been  cel- 
ebrated in  America  and  Europe.  He  wrote  much 
in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  his  country  before 
our  Revolution  ;  and  his  patriotic  ardour  was  as 
strong  and  sincere  of  late  as  in  former  years. 
He  was  attached  to  the  Federal  Constitution  of 
these  states,  which  he  thought  to  be  the  bulwark 
of  freedom  and  good  government :  he  was  fully 
persuaded  that  it  had  been  wisely  and  purely 
administered ;  and  in  his  conversation,  as  well 
as  in  several  of  his  public  performances,  mani- 
fested a  conviction  that  a  firm  and  uniform  sup- 
port of  it  was  essentially  necessary  to  the  liberty 
and  prosperity  of  our  country. 

The  first  volume  of  the  American  Biography 
excited  a  strong  desire  in  the  minds  of  the  read- 
ers to  have  the  work  continued.  A  second  vol- 
ume is  now  in  the  press ;  and  the  tears  of  genius 
ore  shed,  that  a  work  of  so  much  entertainment 
anJ  information  could  not  be  finished  by  the  same 


XV111  LIFE     AND    CHARACTER 

hand.  His  mind  was  richly  furnished  with  this 
kind  of  knowledge,  and  he  wrote  for  the  public 
benefit.  The  love  of  fame  was  only  a  secondary 
consideration  ;  his  mind  seemed  to  glow  with  a 
desire  of  being  useful. 

The  frequent  returns  of  ill  health  to  which 
this  worthy  man  was  subject,  gave  an  anxiety  to 
his  friends,  and  led  him  to  think  that  his  days 
could  not  be  long  upon  the  earth.  This  stimu- 
lated his  exertions,  that  he  might  do  the  more 
service  while  the  day  lasted. 

But  he  was  seized  suddenly  with  a  paralytic- 
disorder  at  four  o'clock,  and  died  before  eleven 
on  Wednesday  morning.* 

*  Dr.  Belknap's  anticipations  and  humble  indications  of 
his  choice  relative  to  the  manner  of  his  death,  mny  be  per- 
ceived in  the  following  lines,  which  were  found  »viong  his 
papers  after  his  decease,  and  which  were  composM  by  him 
probably  at  the  time  noted  at  the  bottom,  upon  tip  eudden 
death  of  one  of  his  acquaintances : 

When  faith  and  natience,  hope  and  lov* 

Have  made  us  meet  for  heaven  above^ 

How  bless'd  the  privilege  to  rise, 

Snatch'd  in  a  moment  to  the  skies, 

Unconscious  to  resign  our  breath. 

Nor  taste  the  bitterness  of  Death. 

Such  be  my  lot,  Lord,  if  thou  please. 

To  die  in  silence  and  at  ease  • 

When  Thou  dost  know  that  I'm  t»rei)ar«4. 

0  seize  me  quick  to  my  reward. 

But  if  thy  wisdom  sees  it  best 

To  turn  thine  ear  from  this  request ; 

If  sickness  be  the  appointed  way 

To  waste  this  frame  of  human  clay 


OF     DR.     BEL  KNAP.  XIX 

His  remains  were  interred  on  Friday  last,  with 
every  testimony  of  respect  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland  preached 
an  affectionate  discourse  from  John,  ix.,  4.  The 
whole  assembly  expressed  their  sorrow  for  the 
loss  of  one  so  near  and  dear  to  them  as  a  broth- 
er and  friend ;  so  amiable  in  the  more  tender 
relations  of  domestic  life,  so  exemplary  as'  a 
Christian,  so  useful  as  a  minister,  so  respectable 
in  all  the  public  offices  he  sustained.  Who  does 
not  readily  acknowledge  the  worth  and  excel- 
lence of  such  a  character  1 


List  of  Dr.  Belknap's  Publications. 

\  Sermon  upon  Military  Duty,  preached  at  Do- 
ver, 1772. 

A  Serious  Address  to  a  Parishioner  upon  the 
neglect  of  Public  Worship. 

A  Sermon  on  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  Foundation, 
preached  before  an  association  of  ministers  in 
New-Hampshire. 

Election  Sermon,  preached  at  Portsmouth,  1784. 

If,  worn  with  grief  and  rack'd  with  pain, 
This  earth  must  turn  to  earth  again, 
Then  let  thine  angels  round  me  stand, 
Support  me  by  thy  powerful  hand  ; 
Let  not  my  faith  or  patience  move, 
Nor  aught  abate  my  hope  or  love  ; 
But  brighter  may  my  graces  shine, 
Till  they're  absorb'd  in  light  divine. 
February  9,  1791. 


XX 

A  Sermon  at  the  ordination  of  the  Rev.  Jedediah 
Morse,  1789. 

A  Discourse,  delivered  at  the  request  of  the  His- 
torical Society,  Octoher,  1792 ;  being  the  Com- 
pletion of  the  Third  Century  from  Columbus's 
Discovery  of  America. 

Dissertations  upon  the  Character  and  Resurrec- 
tion of  Christ,  1  vol.  12mo. 

Collections  of  Psalms  and  Hymns,  1  vol.  12mo. 

Convention  Sermon,  1796. 

A  Sermon  on  the  Day  of  the  National  Fast,  May 
9th,  1798. 

Dr.  Belknap's  Historical  Works  are, 
History  of  New-Hampshire,  3  vols.  8vo. 
The  Foresters  ;  an  American  Tale  :  being  a  «  e- 

quel  to  the  History  of  John  Bull,  the  Clothier, 

1  vol.  12mo. 
American  Biography,  2  vols.  8vo. 

He  published  also  several  Essays  upon  the 
African  Trade  ;  upon  Civil  and  Religious  Lib- 
erty ;  upon  the  State  and  Settlement  of  this 
Country,  in  periodical  papers,  in  the  Columbian 
Magazine,  printed  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  Boston 
Magazine,  1784,  in  the  Historical  Collections, 
and  in  newspapers. 

Extract  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland'i    Sermon  of 

the  interment  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bt  *nap 
"  In  an  eminent  manner  did  the  p  rson  we  la 
ment  appear  to  consider  himself,  with  all  his  en 
dowments  and  opportunities,  as  placed  in  tk 


OF     DR.     BELKNAP.  XXI 

world  by  the  Great  Moral  Governor,  and  bound 
by  the  strongest  obligations  and  motives  to  be 
faithful,  active,  and  persevering  in  the  duties  of 
this  station.  In  few  instances  have  time  and 
talents  been  so  diligently,  conscientiously,  and 
usefully  employed.  A  genius  active  and  origi- 
nal, a  judgment  distinguished  and  correct,  and  a 
retentive  memory,  improved  by  a  learned  edu- 
cation and  habitual  and  close  industry,  and  uni- 
ted to  Christian  faith  and  temper,  could  not  fail 
to  make  a  character  of  eminent  usefulness  and 
honour.  We  have  reason  to  bless  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church  that  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  Christian  ministry,  and  entered  into  the 
spirit  of  his  office.  With  what  diligence  and 
zeal  he  strove  to  acquire  and  communicate  a 
Christian  knowledge,  none  present  can  be  igno- 
rant. Seizing  the  early  hour  of  the  day,  supe- 
rior to  the  enticements  of  indolence,  abhorring 
idleness,  finishing  Avhatever  study  or  inquiry  he 
had  begun,  and  using  recreations  and  visits  as 
preparations  for  serious  pursuits,  his  mind  be- 
came enriched  with  a  large  store  of  theological 
and  evangelical  learning.  But  his  ardent  curi- 
osity did  not  confine  itself  to  the  mere  studies 
of  his  profession.  Not  by  slighting  any  of  the 
public  or  private  duties  of  his  office,  but  by  su- 
perior economy  of  time  and  industry,  he  re- 
deemed leisure  to  carry  his  researches  into  oth- 
er fields  of  literature,  suited  to  gratify  his  taste 
and  increase  his  usefulness.  How  well  he  join- 


XXII  LIFE     AND     CHARACTER 

ed  to  theology  and  general  literature  the  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature  and  the  character  of  men, 
was  evinced  by  his  discourses,  adapted  to  real 
life,  and  unfolding  the  secret  springs  of  action  ; 
and  by  his  conversation  and  behaviour,  suited  to 
persons,  times,  and  places. 

"  Such  intellectual  and  moral  attainments  could 
not  but  render  him  an  important  character  to  the 
world,  to  his  country,  and  to  the  religious,  liter- 
ary, and  domestic  societies  with  which  he  was 
connected.  The  world  has  reaped  the  fruits  of 
his  labours  and  researches,  not  only  in  his  pro- 
fessional studies,  but  in  other  departments  of 
literature  j  in  writings  which  will  maintain  their 
reputation  so  long  as  readers  of  piety  and  taste 
and  lovers  of  historical  truth  remain.  It  is  a 
painful  circumstance  attending  his  death,  that  it 
stops  the  progress  of  a  useful  and  interesting 
work,  for  which  the  public  voice  pronounces 
him  peculiarly  qualified,  and  which  the  world  of 
letters  hoped  he  might  extend  through  the  suc- 
cessive periods  of  his  country's  history.* 

"How  he  magnified  the  office  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  you  afcd  others  who  enjoyed  his  minis- 
trations, who  joined  in  his  prayers,  who  sat  un- 
der his  preaching,  and  who  saw  him  in  the  pri- 
vate duties  of  his  station,  can  better  conceive 
than  I  describe.  If  a  judicious  and  seasonable 
choice  of  subjects,  pertinacity  in  thought,  clear- 
ness in  method,  and  warmth  in  application  j  if 
*  The  American  Biography. 


OF     DR.     BELKNAP.  XXill 

language  plain  and  perspicuous,  polished  and 
nervous  ;  if  striking  illustration  ;  if  evangelical 
doctrines  and  motives  ;  if  a  seriousness  and  fer- 
vour, evincing  that  the  preacher's  own  mind 
was  affected  ;  if  a  pronunciation  free  and  natu- 
ral, distinct  and  emphatical,  are  excellences  in 
public  teaching,  you,  my  brethren  of  this  socie- 
ty, have  possessed  them  in  your  deceased  pas- 
tor. Your  attention  was  never  drawn  from  the 
great  practical  views  of  the  Gospel  by  the  need- 
less introduction  of  controversial  subjects,  nor 
your  minds  perplexed,  nor  your  devotional  feel- 
ings damped  by  the  cold  subtleties  of  metaphys- 
ics. His  preaching  was  designed  to  make  you 
good  and  happy,  and  not  to  gain  your  applause. 
While  the  manner,  as  well  as  the  matter,  was 
suited  to  affect  the  heart,  no  attempt  was  made 
to  overbear  your  imaginations  and  excite  your 
passions  by  clamorous  and  affected  tones. 

"While  the  Church  is  deprived  of  a  distin- 
guished minister,  the  republic  of  letters  of  an 
accomplished  scholar  and  writer,  the  country 
mourns  a  patriot.  Ever  a  strenuous  asserter  of 
the  rights  of  the  colonies  in  speech  and  writing, 
and  a  warm  friend  of  the  Revolution  which  ac- 
complished the  independence  of  the  United 
States,  he  was  also  a  decided  advocate  and  sup- 
porter of  the  government  of  our  own  choice 
which  succeeded,  and  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
states  in  union,  which  he  considered  the  bulwark 
of  our  national  security  and  welfare.  His  love 


LIFE     AND    CHARACTER,    ECT. 

of  true  liberty  was  equal  to  his  hatred  of  licen- 
tiousness j  his  zeal  for  the  equal  rights  of  man 
to  his  zeal  for  the  defeat  of  faction  and  anarchy. 
Actuated  by  public  spirit,  and  viewing  it  the  duty 
of  every  citizen  to  throw  his  whole  weight  into 
the  scale  on  the  side  of  law  and  order,  he  was 
earnest  in  his  wishes  and  prayers  for  the  govern- 
ment of  his  country,  and  in  critical  periods  took 
an  open  and  unequivocal,  and,  as  far  as  profes- 
sional private  duties  allowed,  an  active  part. 

"The  academies  and  societies  instituted  for 
arts  and  sciences,  for  promoting  historical  knowl- 
edge and  humanity,  as  well  as  the  University,  are 
deprived  of  all  that  assistance  and  support  which, 
as  far  as  health  permitted,  they  derived  from  one 
whose  preponderating  desire  was  to  do  good, 
whose  solid  mind  was  superior  to  the  vanity  of 
applause,  and  valued  everything  in  proportion  to 
its  utility. 

"As  a  son,  a  husband,  a  father,  a  brother,  a 
friend,  and  neighbour,  what  he  was  their  bleed- 
ing hearts  can  tell  who  were  connected  with 
him  in  these  interesting  relations  j  who  knew 
his  kind  and  cheerful  temper,  his  sincere  and 
guileless  disposition,  his  disinterested  benevo- 
lence, and  his  activity  in  every  good  work." 


CONTENTS 

OP 

THE   FIRST   VOLUME. 


PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION .2" 

CHRONOLOGICAL  DETAIL        .......    59 


BIRON .77 

MADOC 129 

ZENO 138 

CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS       .......  156 

JAMES  CARTIER       .........  230 

FERDIXANDO  DE  SOTO 258 

HUMPHREY  GILBERT 272 

WALTER  RALEIGH  AND  RICHARD  GRENVILLE      .       .       .289 


OH    THE    CIRCUMNAVIGATION    OF   AFRICA    BY    THE    AN- 

CIENTS,    AND    ITS   PROBABLE    CONSEQUENCE,    THE 

POPULATION  OF  SOME  PART  OF  AMERICA. 


THE  first  navigators  of  whom  we  have  any 
account  were  the  Phoenicians,  who  were 
scattered  along  the  coasts  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean and  of  the  Red  Sea.  As  early  as  the 
days  of  Moses  they  had  extended  their  nav- 
igation beyond  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  on  the 
western  coast  of  Africa  towards  the  south, 
and  as  far  northward  as  the  Island  of  Brit- 
ain, whence  they  imported  tin  and  lead,* 
which,  according  to  the  universal  testimony 
of  the  ancients,  were  not  then  found  in  any 
other  country. 

From  the  accounts  given  in  ancient  history 
of  the  expeditions  of  Sesostris,  king  of  Egypt, 
some  have  been  led  to  conclude  that  he 
made  a  discovery  of  all  the  coasts  of  Africa,  f 
However  this  might  be,  there  is  no  doubt  that 

*  See  Numbers,  ch.  xxxi.,  v.  22. 

*  Forster's  History  of  Voyages  and  Discoveries,  p.  7. 
I.-C 


28         "•"•*•'  TRELIfcltfAfi  Y  .•-TWSSERTATION. 

he  6ptnj^' pi' •tsnved  3-  'commercial 
course*  with 'Indid  "siftti*. Ethiopia  by  way  of 
the  Red  Sea.  It  hath  also  been  thought  that 
the  voyages  of  the  Phoenicians  and  He- 
brews to  Ophir,  in  the  time  of  Solomon, 
were  nothing  more  nor  less  than  circumnavi- 
gations of  Africa.* 

But,  leaving  these,  for  the  present,  in  the 
region  of  conjecture,  the  earliest  regular  ac- 
count which  we  have  of  any  voyage  round 
the  Continent  of  Africa  is  that  performed  by 
order  of  Necho,  king  of  Egypt,  and  recorded 
by  Herodotus  ;  the  most  ancient  historian, 
except  the  sacred  writers,  whose  works  have 
come  down  to  our  time.  His  character  as  a 
historian  is  "  candid  in  his  acknowledgment 
of  what  is  uncertain,  and  absolute  when  he 
speaks  of  what  he  knows."  The  date  of 
Necho's  reign  is  fixed  by  Rollin  616  years 
before  Christ.  The  da*e  of  Herodotus's  his- 
tory is  placed  by  Dufresnoy  in  the  third  year 
of  the  83d  Olympiad,  answering  to  446  years 
before  Christ :  so  that  he  must  have  penned 
his  narration  of  this  voyage  in  less  than  two 
centuries  after  it  was  performed.  I  shall  give 
his  account  at  large,  in  a  literal  translation 
from  the  Geneva  edition  of  his  work,  in 

*  Forster's  History  of  Voyages  and  Discoveries,  p.  7. 


PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION.  29 

Greek  and  Latin,  by  Stephanus.*  In  de- 
scribing the  several  great  divisions  of  the 
earth,  he  speaks  thus  : 

"  I  wonder  at  those  who  have  divided  and 
distinguished  Libya,!  Asia,  and  Europe,  be- 
tween which  there  is  not  a  little  difference. 
If,  indeed,  Europe  agrees  with  the  others  in 
length,  yet  in  breadth  it  does  not  seem  to  me 
worthy  to  be  compared.  For  Libya  shows 
itself  to  be  surrounded  by  the  sea,  except 
where  it  joins  to  Asia.  Necos,  king  of  the 
Egyptians,  being  the  first  of  those  whom  we 
know  to  demonstrate  it.  After  he  had  desist- 
ed from  digging  a  ditch  from  the  Nile  to  the 
Arabian  Gulf  (in  which  work  above  twenty 
thousand  Egyptians  perished),  he  betook  him- 
self to  raising  armies'  and  building  ships,  part- 
ly in  the  North  Sea,1:  and  partly  in  the  Ara- 
bian Gulf,  at  the  Red  Sea,  of  which  they  yet 
show  some  remains.  §  He  sent  certain  Phoe- 
nicians in  ships,  commanding  them  that, 
having  passed  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  they 
should  penetrate  the  North  Sea,  and  so  return 
to  Egypt.  The  Phoenicians,  therefore,  loos- 

*  Lib.  iv.,  chap.  42. 

t  Libya  is  the  name  by  which  the  whole  Continent  of  Africa 
was  called  by  the  Greeks. 

t  By  the  North  Sea  is  meant  the  Mediterranean,  which  lie* 
north  of  Egypt.  $  Lib.  ii.,  ch.  48. 


30  PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION. 

ing  from  the  Red  Sea,  went  away  into  the 
Southern  Sea,  and,  directing  their  ships  to 
land,  made  a  seed-time  at  the  end  of  autumn, 
that  they  might  expect  a  harvest,  and  might 
assiduously  coast  Libya.  Then,  having  gath- 
ered the  harvest,  they  sailed.*  Thus,  two 
years  being  consumed,  in  the  third  year, 
coming  round  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  they 
returned  to  Egypt,  reporting  things  which 
with  me  have  no  credit,  but  may  perhaps  with 
others,  that  in  sailing  round  Libya  they  had 
the  sun  on  the  right  hand.^  In  this  manner 
it  was  first  known. 

"  In  the  second  place,  the  Carthaginians 
have  said  that  a  certain  Sataspes,  son  of  Te- 
aspis,  a  man  of  the  Achamenides,  did  not 
sail  round  Libya  when  he  was  sent,  but,  be- 
ing deterred  by  the  length  of  the  naviga- 
tion and  the  solitude  of  the  country,  returned 
home,  having  not  fulfilled  the  labour  which 
his  mother  enjoined  him.  For  he  had  viola- 
ted a  virgin,  daughter  of  Zopyrus,  the  son 
of  Megabysus  ;  and  for  that  cause  being 
by  Xerxes  condemned  to  be  crucified,  his 

*  "  Into  whatever  part  of  Libya  seamen  came,  they  waited 
for  harvest,  and  when  they  had  reaped  they  loosed  from  the 
shore." — (Note  of  Stephanus.) 

t  I.  e.,  They  being  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  and  sailing 
westward,  saw  the  meridian  sun  on  the  right  hand. 


PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION.  31 

mother,  who  was  sister  to  Darius,  liberated 
him,  because,  she  said,  she  would  impose  on 
him  a  punishment  greater  than  the  king's 
command.  Wherefore  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  sail  round  all  Libya,  till  he  should 
come  to  the  Arabian  Gulf.  Xerxes  consent- 
ing to  this,  Sataspes  went  into  Egypt,  and, 
having  there  taken  a  ship  and  companions, 
sailed  to  the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  Having 
passed  them,  and  having  doubled  the  prom- 
ontory of  Libya  called  Syloes,*  he  kept  a 
southern  course.  Having  traversed  much  of 
the  sea  in  many  months,  and  finding  much 
more  time  necessary,  he  turned  about  and 
came  back  to  Egypt.  Returning  to  Xerxes, 
he  reported  that,  in  visiting  the  remotest 
coasts,  he  had  seen  small  men,  clothed  in 
Phoenician  garments,  who,  at  the  approach 
of  his  ship,  fled  to  the  mountains  and  left  their 
villages,  which  he  entered,  and  took  nothing 
from  them  but  cattle.  He  gave  this  reason 
for  not  having  sailed  round  Libya,  that  his 
ship  could  sail  no  farther,  but  was  stopped. 
Xerxes  did  not  believe  him,  and  because  he 
had  not  performed  his  engagement,  ordered 
him  to  undergo  his  destined  punishment.'' 

*  Now  called  Cape  Bojador,  in  the  26th  degree  of  north  lati- 
tude. 


32  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

To  the  authenticity  of  this  circumnaviga- 
tion of  the  African  Continent,  the  following 
objections  have  been  made  : 

First,  it  is  said  that  "  the  vessels  which  the 
ancients  employed  were  so  small  as  not  to 
afford  stowage  for  provisions  sufficient  to  sub- 
sist a  crew  during  a  leng  voyage." 

Secondly,  "  their  construction  was  such 
that  they  could  seldom  venture  to  depart  far 
from  land,  and  their  mode  of  steering  along 
the  coast  was  so  circuitous  and  slow,  that  we 
may  pronounce  a  voyage  from  the  Mediterra- 
nean to  India  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to 
have  been  an  undertaking  beyond  their  power 
to  accomplish,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render 
it  in  any  degree  subservient  to  commerce. 
To  this  decision,  the  account  preserved  by 
Herodotus  of  a  voyage  performed  by  some 
Phosnician  ships  employed  by  the  King  of 
Egypt  can  hardly  be  considered  as  repug- 
nant."* 

*  Robertson'8  India,  p.  175,  American  edition. 

The  objections  taken  from  this  learned  author  were  not  made 
directly  against  the  voyage  mentioned  by  Herodotus,  but  rather 
against  the  possibility  of  a  passage  to  India  by  way  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean  and  round  the  African  Continent.  However,  as  he 
brings  this  voyage  into  view  in  the  same  argument,  and  speaks 
of  it  dubiously,  it  is  conceived  that  his  sentiments  are  not  mis- 
represented in  the  above  quotations. 


PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION.  33 

I  have  chosen  to  consider  both  these  objec- 
tions together,  because  that  each  one  helps  to 
destroy  the  other.  For  if  the  vessels  were  so 
small  as  not  to  contain  provisions  for  a  long 
voyage,  this  was  one  reason  for  the  naviga- 
tors to  keep  their  course  near  the  land,  that 
they  might  find  water,  fruits,  game,  and  cat- 
tle on  the  shore,  as  well  as  fish  on  the  shoals 
and  rocks  near  the  coast,  for  their  subsistence. 
And  if  it  was  their  design  to  keep  near  the 
land  for  the  sake  of  discovery,  small  vessels 
were  best  adapted  to  the  purpose,  because 
they  could  pass  over  shoals,  through  small 
openings,  between  islands  and  rocks,  which 
are  generally  situate  near  the  coasts  of  great 
continents.  Besides,  if  the  vessels  were 
small,  they  could  carry  but  small  crews,  who 
would  not  require  very  large  quantities  of  pro- 
vision. 

But  Herodotus  has  helped  us  to  solve  the 
difficulty  respecting  provisions  in  a  manner 
perfectly  agreeable  to  the  practice  of  anti- 
quity, though  unknown  to  modern  navigators. 
They  went  on  shore  and  sowed  corn,  and 
when  it  was  ripe  gathered  the  harvest.  This 
enables  us  to  account  for  two  circumstances 
attending  the  voyage  of  Necho:  the  length 
of  time  employed,  and  the  supply  of  provis- 
ion, at  least  of  bread,  consumed  in  it. 


34  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

Nor  was  the  sowing  and  reaping  any  loss 
of  time ;  for  the  monsoons  in  the  Indian 
Ocean  would  not  permit  them  to  proceed  any 
faster.  A  ship  sailing  from  the  Red  Sea  with 
the  N.E.  monsoon  in  the  summer  or  au- 
tumn, would  meet  with  the  S.W.  monsoon 
in  the  beginning  of  December,  which  must 
have  detained  her  in  some  of  the  harbours  on 
the  eastern  coast  of  Africa  till  the  next  April. 
During  this  time,  in  that  warm  climate,  corn 
might  be  sown  and  reaped  ;  and  any  other 
articles,  either  of  provision  or  merchandise, 
might  be  taken  on  board.  Then  the  N.E. 
monsoon  would  carry  her  to  the  southern 
parts  of  Africa,  into  the  region  of  variable 
winds.  This  regular  course  and  changing  of 
the  monsoons  was  familiarly  known  to  the 
navigators  .of  Solomon's  ships,  and  was  the 
cause  of  their  spending  three  years  in  the 
voyage  to  and  from  Ophir.  "  In  going  and 
returning  they  changed  the  monsoon  six 
times,  which  made  thirty-six  months.  They 
needed  no  longer  time  to  complete  the  voy- 
age, and  they  could  not  perform  it  in  less."* 

It  is  not  pleaded  that  the  voyage  of  Necho 
was  undertaken  for  the  sake  of  commerce  ; 
or,  if  the  authenticity  of  it  were  established, 
*  Bruce's  Travels,  b.  it,  chap.  iv. 


PRELIMINAnY   DISSERTATION.  35 

that  it  would  prove  the  practicability  of  a  voy- 
age from  the  Mediterranean  to  India  round 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  by  the  vessels  then 
in  use  and  th'e  nautical  skill  then  acquired. 
The  voyage  of  which  Herodotus  speaks  might 
have  been  a  voyage  of  discovery ;  such  a 
one  as  was  perfectly  agreeable  to  the  genius 
of  the  people  by  whom  it  was  performed,  and 
of  the  prince  by  whose  order  and  at  whose 
expense  it  was  undertaken.  "  The  progress 
of  the  Phoenicians  and  Carthaginians,  in  their 
knowledge  of  the  globe,  was  not  owing  en- 
tirely to  the  desire  of  extending  their  trade 
from  one  country  to  another.  Commerce  was 
followed  by  its  usual  effects  among  both  those 
people.  It  awakened  curiosity,  enlarged  the 
ideas  and  desires  of  men,  and  incited  them  to 
bold  enterprises.  Voyages  Avere  undertaken, 
the  sole  object  of  which  was  to  "  discover  new 
countries  and  to  explore  unknown  seas"* 
The  knowledge  acquired  in  these  voyages  of 
discovery  might  afterward  be  subservient  to 
commerce  ;  and  though  the  Phoenicians  might 
not  think  it  convenient  to  circumnavigate  Af- 
rica more  than  once,  yet  that  they  carried  on 
a  commercial  intercourse  with  different  parts 
of  that  country,  and  particularly  with  places 

*  Robertson's  America,  vol.  i.,  p.  11,  4th  edit. 


36  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

situate  on  the  eastern  coast,  in  the  Indian 
Ocean,  we  have  evidence  from  the  sacred 
writings.  In  the  reign  of  Solomon,  "  the 
king's  ships,  with  the  servants  of  Hiram  and 
the  navy  of  Tharshish,  every  three  years 
brought  ivory,*  apes,  and  peacocks,  besides 
silver  and  the  gold  of  Ophir"  which  is  with 
great  reason  supposed  to  be  the  country  now 
called  Sofala,  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa, 
in  the  southern  hemisphere,  as  the  learned 
Bruce,  in  his  late  book  of  travels,  has  satis- 
factorily proved. 

The  prophet  Ezekiel,  who  was  contempo- 
rary with  Necho,  king  of  Egypt,  in  the  ac- 
count which  he  gives  of  the  merchandise  of 
Tyre,  enumerates  several  commodities  which 
it  is  well  known  belong  to  Africa,  "  horns  of 
ivory  and  ebony,  and  the  persons  of  men."t 
We  may  form  some  idea  of  the  strength  and 
materials  of  the  ships  of  the  Tyrians,  and  of 
their  skill  in  navigation,  from  the  following 
passages  in  his  apostrophe  to  Tyrus.  "  They 
have  made  all  thy  ship-boards  of  fir-trees  of 
Senir ;  they  have  taken  cedars  of  Lebanon  to 
make  masts  for  thee  ;  of  the  oaks  of  Bashan 
have  they  made  thine  oars.  Thy  wise  men, 

*  2  Chron.,  viii.,  18  ;  ix.,  21. 

t  Ezekiel,  chap,  xxvii.,  ver.  13,  15. 


PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION.  37 

O  Tyrus,  were  thy  pilots.  The  ancients  of 
Gebal,  the  wise  men  thereof,  were  thy  calkers. 
The  ships  of  Tharshish  did  sing  of  thee  ;  thou 
wast  replenished  and  made  very  glorious  in  the 
midst  of  the  seas ;  thy  rowers  have  brought 
thee  into  great  waters."  Though  we  have 
no  particular  description  of  the  size  or  model 
of  their  ships,  yet  they  certainly  had  masts, 
sails,  and  oars  ;  their  pilots  and  calkers  were 
wise  men,  and  they  were  not  afraid  to  sail  in 
great  waters,  by  which  is  probably  meant  the 
Ocean,  in  distinction  from  the  Mediterranean. 
Of  the  form  and  structure  of  the  Grecian 
vessels  we  have  a  more  particular  knowledge. 
"  They  were  of  inconsiderable  burden,  and 
mostly  without  decks.  They  had  only  one 
mast,  and  were  strangers  to  the  use  of  an- 
chors."* But  then  it  must  be  remembered 
that  "the  Pho3nicians,  who  instructed  the 
Greeks  in  other  useful  arts,  did  not  communi- 
cate to  them  that  extensive  knowledge  of 
navigation  which  they  themselves  possess- 
ed."! We  may  hence  conclude  that  the 
ships  of  the  Phoanicians  were  superior  to  the 
Grecian  vessels  ;  and  we  have  no  evidence, 
from  the  structure  of  their  vessels  or  their 
mode  of  sailing,  to  warrant  a  doubt  of  the 

*  Rr  icrtson's  America,  vol.  i.,  p.  15.  t  Ibid.,  p.  14. 


38  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

ability  of  their  ships  or  seamen  to  perform  a 
voyage  round  the  Continent  of  Africa  in  three 
years. 

To  a  European  theorist  such  a  voyage  may 
seem  less  practicable  than  to  an  American. 
The  Europeans  have  usually  employed  none 
but  ships  of  great  burden  in  their  trade  to  In- 
dia and  China ;  but,  since  the  Americans 
have  visited  those  countries,  sloops  of  fifty  or 
sixty  tons  have  sailed  round  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  China,  and  round  Cape  Horn 
to  the  northwest  coast  of  America,  and  across 
the  North  Pacific  Ocean.  If  any  doubt  can 
yet  remain,  it  may  be  entirely  removed  by 
the  recollection  of  a  voyage  performed  in 
the  year  1789  by  Lieutenant  Bligh,  of  the 
British  navy  ;  who,  being  turned  adrift  by  his 
mutinous  crew,  traversed  the  South  Pacific 
Ocean,  above  twelve  hundred  leagues,  in  a 
boat  of  twenty-three  feet  long,  without  a 
deck,  in  much  stormy  weather,  with  scanty 
provisions  ;  and,  having  passed  many  danger- 
ous rocks  and  shoals,  among  unknown  isl- 
ands, arrived  in  forty-one  days  at  a  Dutch 
settlement  in  Timor,  one  of  the  Moluccas.* 
The  objections,  then,  against  the  reality  of 
Necho's  voyage,  from  the  size  and  structure 

*  See  the  printed  narrative  by  Lieut.  Bligh. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  39 

of  the  Phoenician  vessels  and  the  want  of  pro- 
vision, are  not  so  formidable  on  examination 
as  at  the  first  appearance.* 

A  third  objection  against  the  credibility  of 

*  Since  this  dissertation  was  sent  to  the  press  I  have  met 
with  the  following  account  of  an  adventure,  which  adds  to  the 
credibility  of  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa  in  small  embar- 
cations. 

In  1534,  when  the  Portuguese  had  established  a  government 
in  India,  Badur,  king  of  Kambaya,  being  at  war  with  the  Great 
Mogul,  sought  assistance  from  the  Portuguese,  and  offered 
them  the  liberty  of  building  a  fort  at  Diu.  As  soon  as  this  lib- 
erty was  granted  and  the  plan  of  the  fort  was  drawn,  James  Bo- 
tello,  a  person  skilled  in  the  affairs  of  India,  having  been  in  dis- 
grace with  John,  king  of  Portugal,  and  being  anxious  to  recov- 
er the  favour  of  that  prince,  resolved  to  carry  the  first  news  of 
it  to  him.  Having  obtained  a  copy  of  the  plan,  he  set  out 
from  India  in  a  bark  sixteen  feet  long,  nine  broad,  and  four  and 
a  half  deep,  with  three  Portuguese,  two  others,  and  his  own 
slaves.  He  pretended  that  he  was  going  to  Kambaya,  but 
when  he  was  out  at  sea,  made  known  his  design  to  go  to  Lis- 
bon, at  which  they  were  all  astonished.  Being  overcome  by 
fair  words,  they  proceeded  on  their  way,  till,  finding  themselves 
reduced  to  distress,  the  slaves  agreed  to  kill  Botello ;  but, 
after  killing  a  servant,  they  were  put  to  death  themselves. 
With  the  four  who  remained  Botello  held  on  his  course,  doub- 
led the  southern  cape  of  Africa,  and  at  length  arrived  at  Lis- 
bon, where  the  bark  was  immediately  burned,  that  no  man 
might  see  it  was  possible  to  perform  that  voyage  in  so  small  a 
vessel.  The  king  was  greatly  pleased  wtih  the  news,  and  restored 
Botello  to  his  favour,  without  any  other  reward  for  so  daring  an 
adventure. 

See  a  collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  in  quarto,  printed 
at  London,  1745,  by  Thomas  Astley,  vol.  i.,  p.  82. 


40  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

this  early  circumnavigation  is,  that  several 
writers  of  the  greatest  eminence  among  the 
ancients,  and  most  distinguished  for  their 
knowledge  of  geography,  regarded  this  ac- 
count rather  as  an  amusing  tale  than  the  his- 
tory of  a  real  transaction,  and  either  enter- 
tained doubts  concerning  the  possibility  of 
sailing  round  Africa,  or  absolutely  denied 
it."*  That  the  Roman  geographers  and  his- 
torians did  doubt  and  disbelieve  the  story  is 
very  evident ;  and  the  causes  are  not  far  to 
be  sought. 

The  first  was  the  jealousy  of  the  Phoeni- 
cians. "  Whatever  acquaintance  with  the 
remote  regions  of  the  earth  the  Phoenicians  or 
Carthaginians  acquired,  was  concealed  from 
the  rest  of  mankind  with  a  mercantile  jeal- 
ousy. Everything  relative  to  the  course  of 
navigation  was  a  secret  of  state  as  well  as  a 
mystery  of  trade.  Extraordinary  facts  are 
recorded  concerning  their  solicitude  to  pre- 
vent other  nations  from  penetrating  into  what 
they  wished  should  remain  undivulged."t 
One  of  these  extraordinary  facts  is  thus  rela- 
ted by  Strabo.  The  Romans,  being  desirous 
to  discover  the  places  whence  the  Carthagin- 

*  Robertson's  India,  p.  175. 

t  Robertson's  America,  vol.  i,,  p.  13. 


PRELIMINARY    DISSERTATION.  41 

ians  fetched  tin  and  amber,  "  sent  a  vessel, 
with  orders  to  sail  in  the  wake  of  a  Phoeni- 
cian  vessel.  This  being  observed  by  the 
Carthaginian,  he  purposely  ran  his  vessel 
among  rocks  and  sand-banks,  so  that  it  was 
lost,  together  with  that  of  the  inquisitive  Ro- 
man. The  patriotic  commander  of  the  for- 
mer was  indemnified  for  his  loss  by  his  coun- 
try."* 

A  second  reason  was  the  pride  of  the  Ro- 
mans.    If,  as  Pope  tells  us, 

"  With  honest  scorn,  the  first  famed  Cato  viewed 
Rome,  learning  arts  from  Greece  whom  she  subdued  ;". 

the  same  pride  would  make  their  wise  men 
scorn  to  learn  geography  or  navigation,  theo- 
retically, from  those  best  able  to  teach  them. 
It  is  acknowledged  that  the  Romans  "  did  not 
imbibe  that  commercial  spirit  and  ardour  for 
discovery  which  distinguished  their  rivals."! 
It  must  also  be  observed,  that  there  was  but 
little  intercourse  between  them,  and  that  the 
Carthaginians  were  deficient  in  those  scien- 
ces for  which  the  Romans  were  famous. 
Among  the  Phoenicians  and  Carthaginians, 
the  study  and  knowledge  of  their  youth  were 
confined  to  writing,  arithmetic,  and  mercan- 

*  Forster's  History  of  Voyages  and  Discoveries,  ch.  i. 
t  Robertson's  America,  vol.  i.,  p.  14. 


42  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

tile  accounts,  while  polite  literature,  history, 
and  philosophy  were  in  little  repute  ;  and  by 
a  law  of  Carthage,  the  study  of  the  Greek 
language  was  prohibited,  lest  any  communi- 
cation should  be  carried  on  with  their  ene- 
mies.* 

A  third  reason  was  the  opinion  which  the 
wisest  men  among  the  Romans  had  formed, 
and  to  which  they  obstinately  adhered,  con- 
cerning the  five  zones,  and  the  impossibility 
of  passing  from  one  hemisphere  to  the  other, 
because  of  the  torrid  zone  lying  between. 
This  doctrine  of  the  zones  is  so  fully  repre- 
sented by  Dr.  Robertson,!  that  I  need  only 
refer  the  reader  to  what  he  has  written  on  the 
subject. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  doubts  and  the 
infidelity  of  the  Roman  philosophers,  and  the 
great  deference  paid  to  them  by  this  learned 
and  cautious  inquirer,  there  is  one  circum- 
stance which  almost  convinced  him  of  the 
reality  of  Necho's  voyage  as  related  by  Her- 
odotus. It  is  this,  that  the  Phoenicians,  in 
sailing  round  Africa,  "  had  the  sun  on  their 
right  hand;"  which  Herodotus,  with  his  usual 
modesty  and  candour,  says,  "  with  me  has 

*  Rollin's  Ancient  History,  book  ii.,  part  i.,  sect.  7. 
t  Robertson's  America,  vol.  i.,  note  8. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  43 

no  credit,  though  it  may  with  others."  On 
this  the  doctor  judiciously  remarks,  "  The 
science  of  astronomy  was  in  that  early  period 
so  imperfect,  that  it  was  by  experience  only 
that  the  Phrenicians  could  come  at  the  knowl- 
edge of  this  fact ;  they  durst  not,  without 
this,  have  ventured  to  assert  what  would  have 
appeared  to  be  an  improbable  fiction."*  In- 
deed, if  they  had  not  known  it  by  experience, 
there  is  not  the  least  conceivable  reason  for 
their  inventing  such  a  report,  nor  even  for 
the  entrance  of  such  an  idea  into  their  imagi- 
nation. The  modest  doubt  of  Herodotus  is 
another  argument  in  favour  of  the  truth  and 
genuineness  of  it ;  for,  as  he  had  no  experi- 
ence to  guide  him,  and  the  idea  was  new,  it 
was  very  proper  for  him  to  hesitate  in  admit- 
ting it,  though  he  showed  his  impartiality  by 
inserting  it  in  his  relation. 

So  much  for  the  voyage  performed  by  the 
Phoanicians  under  the  orders  of  Necho,  which 
is  the  first  proof  produced  by  Herodotus  of 
his  position  that  "  Lybia  is  surrounded  by 
the  sea  except  where  it  joins  Asia." 

His  second  proof  is  not  so  conclusive,  nor 
is  the  design  of  his  introducing  it  so  obvious. 
It  is  the  relation  of  a  voyage  undertaken  by 
_  *  Robertson's  India,  note  54. 


44  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

Sataspes,  a  Persian,  whose  punishment  was 
commuted  from  crucifixion  to  sailing  round 
Lybia  ;  which  voyage  he  began,  but  returned 
by  the  same  route,  not  having  completed  it. 
The  reason  which  he  gave  for  returning  was, 
that  "  his  ship  was  stopped  and  could  sail  no 
farther,"  which  his  sovereign  did  not  believe, 
and  therefore  put  him  to  death,  to  which  he 
had  before  been  condemned. 

The  only  evidence  which  this  story  can  af- 
ford is,  that  the  circumnavigation  of  the  Af- 
rican Continent  was  at  that  time  thought 
practicable.  The  mother  of  Sataspes  thought 
so,  or  she  would  not  have  proposed  it ;  and 
Xerxes  thought  so,  or  he  would  not  have 
disbelieved  the  story  of  the  ship  being  stop- 
ped ;  by  which  expression  was  meant  that 
the  sea  was  no  farther  navigable  by  reason 
of  land. 

The  exact  date  of  this  voyage  is  not  ascer- 
tained ;  but,  as  Xerxes  reigned  twelve  years, 
and  died  in  the  year  473  before  Christ,  it 
could  not  have  been  much  more  than  thirty 
years  preceding  the  time  when  Herodotus 
published  his  history. 

The  voyage  of  Hanno,  the  Carthaginian,  is 
thus  briefly  mentioned  by  Pliny :  "  In  the 
flourishing  state  of  Carthage,  Hanno,  having 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  45 

sailed  round  from  Gades  [Cadiz]  to  the  bor- 
der of  Arabia,  committed  to  writing  an  ac- 
count of  his  voyage  ;  as  did  Himilco,  who 
was,  at  the  same  time,  sent  to  discover  the 
extreme  parts  of  Europe."*  The  character 
of  Pliny  as  a  historian  is,  that  "he  collected 
from  all  authors,  good  and  bad,  who  had  writ- 
ten before  him  ;  and  that  his  work  is  a  mix- 
ture of  truth  and  error,  which  it  is  difficult 
to  separate."  An  instance  in  confirmation 
of  this  remark  occurs  in  this  very  chapter, 
where  he  speaks  of  some  merchants  sailing 
from  India,  and  thrown  by  a  tempest  on  the 
coast  of  Germany.  He  also  mentions  a  voy- 
age made  by  Eudoxus  from  the  Arabian 
Gulf  to  Gades,  and  another  of  Coelius  Anti- 
pater  from  Spain  to  Ethiopia. 

Of  these  voyages,  that  of  Hanno  is  best  au- 
thenticated. He  sailed  from  Carthage  with 
sixty  gaDeys,  each  carrying  fifty  oars,  having 
on  board  thirty  thousand  men  and  women, 
with  provisions  and  articles  of  traffic.  The 
design  of  this  equipment  was  to  plant  colo- 
nies along  the  western  shore  of  Africa,  which 
the  Carthaginians,  from  priority  of  discovery, 
and  from  its  contiguity  to  their  territory,  con- 
sidered as  their  own  dominion.  Hanno  was 

"  Pliny's  Natural  History,  lib.  ii.,  cap.  f>7. 


46  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

absent  five  years  on  this  colonizing  expedi- 
tion ;  but  there  is  no  certainty  of  his  having 
proceeded  any  farther  southward  than  the 
Bay  of  Benin,  in  the  eighth  degree  of  north 
latitude.  A  fragment  of  his  journal,  which, 
at  his  return,  he  deposited  in  the  temple  of 
Saturn  at  Carthage,  is  now  extant ;  and 
though  it  has  been  treated  as  fabulous  by 
several  authors,  ancient  and  modern,  yet  its 
authenticity  has  been  vindicated  by  M.  Bou- 
gainville, in  the  26th  volume  of  the  Memoirs 
of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Inscriptions  and 
Belles  Lettres,  where  a  French  translation 
of  it  is  given  from  the  Greek,  into  which  lan- 
guage it  was  rendered  from  the  original 
Punic. 

Concerning  the  voyage  of  Eudoxus,  the 
following  account  is  given  by  Bruce.*  He 
was  sent  by  Ptolemy  Euergetes  as  an  am- 
bassador to  India,  to  remove  the  bad  effects 
of  the  king's  conduct  in  the  beginning  of  his 
reign,  who  had  extorted  contributions  from 
merchants  of  that  and  other  trading  countries. 
Eudoxus  returned  after  the  king's  death,  and 
was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Ethiopia,  where 

*  Travels,  book  ii.,  chap.  5.  The  voyage  of  Eudoxus  was 
originally  written  by  Posidonius,  but  I  have  not  met  with  that 
author. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  47 

he  discovered  the  prow  of  a  ship  which  had 
suffered  the  same  fate.  It  was  the  figure  of 
a  horse  ;  and  a  sailor,  who  had  been  employ- 
ed in  European  voyages,  knew  this  to  have 
been  part  of  one  of  those  vessels  which  tra- 
ded on  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  of  which  trade 
Gades  was  the  principal  port.  This  circum- 
stance amounted  to  a  proof  that  there  was  a 
passage  round  Africa  from  the  Indian  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  The  discovery  was  of  no 
greater  importance  to  any  person  than  to 
Eudoxus  himself;  for,  some  time  afterward, 
falling  under  the  displeasure  of  Ptolemy  La- 
thyrus,  and  being  in  danger  of  his  life,  he 
fled,  and,  embarking  on  the  Red  Sea,  sailed 
round  Africa  and  came  to  Gades. 

This  voyage  of  Eudoxus  was  treated  as  a 
fable  by  Strabo,  the  Roman  geographer,  who 
wrote  about  a  century  and  a  half  after  the 
time  when  it  is  said  to  have  been  performed. 
The  true  cause  of  the  incredulity  of  him  and 
of  other  Roman  authors  in  respect  to  these 
voyages  and  discoveries  was  the  doctrine 
of  the  zones,  to  which  they  inflexibly  ad- 
hered, and  which  entirely  precluded  all  con- 
viction. 

These  are  all  the  evidences  which  I  have 
had  opportunity  to  examine  respecting  the 


48  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

question  of  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa,* 
and,  upon  the  whole,  there  appears  to  be 
this  peculiarity  attending  the  subject,  that  it 
was  believed  by  those  who  lived  nearest  to 
the  time  when  the  voyage  of  Necho  is  said  to 
have  been  made ;  and  that,  in  proportion  to 
the  distance  of  time  afterward,  it  was  doubt- 
ed, disbelieved,  and  denied,  till  its  credibil- 
ity was  established  beyond  all  doubt  by  the 
Portuguese  adventurers  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. 

The  credibility  of  the  Egyptian  or  Phoeni- 
cian voyages  round^the  Continent  of  Africa 
being  admitted,  and  the  certainty  of  the  Car- 
thaginian voyages  and  colonies  on  the  western 
shore  of  Africa  being  established,  we  may  ex- 
tend our  inquiry  to  the  probability  of  what 
has  been  advanced  by  some  writers,  and 
doubted  or  denied  by  others,  the  population 
of  some  parts  of  America  from  beyond  the 
Atlantic. 

The  discovery  of  the  Canary  Islands  by  the 
Carthaginians  is  a  fact  well  attested.  Pliny 

*  Dr.  Forster,  in  his  history  of  voyages  and  discoveries 
(chap,  i.),  refers  to  three  German  authors,  Gesner,  Schlozer,  and 
Michaelis,  who  have  written  on  this  subject,  and  observes,  that 
"  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa  by  the  Phoenicians  and  Egyp- 
tians is  proved  almost  to  a  demonstration." 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  49 

speaks  of  them  as  then  destitute  of  inhabi- 
tants, but  containing  (vestigia  cedificiorum)  the 
remains  of  buildings.  From  this  circum- 
stance it  must  appear  that  they  had  been  in- 
habited before  the  Carthaginian  discovery. 
In  Plutarch's  time,  the  Fortunate  Islands 
were  not  only  inhabited,  but  were  so  cele- 
brated for  their  fertility  that  they  were  sup- 
posed to  be  the  seat  of  the  blessed. 

When  Madeira  and  Porto  Santo  were  dis- 
covered by  the  Normans  and  Portuguese, 
both  were  uninhabited.  A  question  then 
arises,  If  these  islands  were  sometimes  inhab- 
ited and  at  other  times  deserted,  what  became 
of  their  inhabitants  ?  It  must  have  been  some 
uncommon  event  which  could  induce  them  to 
abandon  so  pleasant  and  fruitful  a  country 
without  leaving  a  single  family  behind.  If 
they  perished  in  the  islands,  it  is  still  more 
extraordinary ;  for  it  is  a  most  singular  cir- 
cumstance that  all  the  inhabitants  of  any  place 
should  be  destroyed,  and  yet  the  place  itself 
remain.  George  Glas,  who  published  a  his- 
tory of  these  islands  in  1764,  attempts  to 
solve  the  inquiry  thus  :* 

"  Almost  two  thirds  of  the  Canary  Islands 
are  covered  with  calcined  rocks,  pumice 

*  Page  167,  4to. 

VOL.  I E 


60  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

stones,  and  black  ashes,  which  have  been  for- 
merly thrown  out  from  volcanoes,  the  re- 
mains of  which  are  still  seen  in  every  one  of 
these  islands.  Many  of  the  natives  might 
have  been  destroyed  by  these  violent  erup- 
tions, and  the  remainder,  being  terrified,  might 
abandon  their  country  and  go  in  quest  of  new 
habitations :  but  where  they  went  is  a  ques- 
tion not  easily  solved,  though  some  assert 
that  they  passed  over  to  America."  An  event 
exactly  similar  is  said  by  the  same  author  to 
have  happened  about  thirty  years  before  he 
wrote.*  "  A  volcano  broke  out  in  the  S.W. 
part  of  the  island  of  Lancerotta,  near  the  sea, 
but  remote  from  habitation,  which  threw  out 
such  an  immense  quantity  of  ashes  and 
stones,  with  so  dreadful  a  noise,  that  many  of 
the  natives  deserted  their  houses  and  fled  to 
Fuertaventura,  another  island,  for  the  preser- 
vation of  their  lives." 

But  whether  we  admit  the  conj  ecture  that, 
being  thus  obliged  to  quit  the  islands,  they 
"passed  over  to  America,"  or  not,  yet  it  is 
extremely  probable  that,  in  some  of  the  an- 
cient circumnavigations  of  Africa,  or  in  pass- 
ing to  and  from  these  islands,  or  even  in 
coasting  the  continent  from  the  Straits  of  Gib- 

*  Page  200. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  51 

raltar,  some  vessels  might  be  drawn  by  cur- 
rents or  driven  by  tempests  within  the  verge 
of  the  trade- wind,  "  which  begins  not  far  to 
the  southward  of  the  straits,  and  blows  nine 
months  of  the  year  on  the  coast  of  Morocco." 
In  this  case  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  for 
those  who  had  met  with  any  considerable 
damage  in  their  masts,  sails,  or  rigging,  to 
run  in  any  other  direction  than  before  the 
wind  to  the  westward,  and  this  course  must 
bring  them  to  the  continent,  or  islands  of 
America. 

In  confirmation  of  this  remark,  several  facts 
have  been  adduced  by  way  of  proof.  One  is 
thus  related  by  Glas:*  "  A  few  years  ago,  a 
small  bark,  laden  with  corn  and  passengers, 
bound  from  Lancerotta  to  Teneriffe,  met  with 
some  disaster  at  sea,  by  which  she  was  ren- 
dered incapable  of  getting  to  any  of  the  Ca- 
nary Islands,  and  was  obliged  to  run  many 
days  before  the  wind,  till  she  came  within 
two  days  sail  of  the  coast  of  Caraccas,  in 
South  America,  where  she  met  an  English 
ship,  which  supplied  the  surviving  passengers 
with  water,  and  directed  her  to  the  port  of 
La  Guiara,  on  that  coast."  La  Guiara  is  one 
of  the  ports  to  which  the  trade  from  the  Ca- 

*  Introduction,  page  5. 
I— E 


52  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

naries  is  restricted  by  the  King  of  Spain,  and 
the  run  thither  from  Teneriffe  is  generally 
performed  in  less  than  thirty  days  with  the 
trade-wind.* 

Another  fact  is  taken  from  Gumilla,t  who 
says,  "  In  December,  1731,  while  I  was  at 
the  town  of  St.  Joseph,  in  the  Island  of  Trin- 
idad, a  small  vessel  of  Teneriffe,  with  six 
seamen,  was  driven  into  that  island  by  stress 
of  weather.  She  was  laden  with  wine,  and 
bound  for  one  other  of  the  Canary  Islands  ; 
she  had  provision  only  for  a  few  days,  which, 
notwithstanding  the  utmost  care,  had  been 
expended,  and  the  crew  subsisted  wholly  on 
wine.  They  were  reduced  to  the  last  extrem- 
ity, and  were  received  with  astonishment  by 
the  inhabitants,  who  ran  in  crowds  to  see 
them.  Their  emaciated  appearance  would 
have  sufficiently  confirmed  the  truth  of  their 
story,  if  the  papers  which  they  produced  had 
not  put  the  matter  beyond  all  doubt." 

A  third  fact  is  related  by  Herrera,  the  roy- 
al Spanish  historian.^  Columbus,  in  his  sec- 
ond voyage  to  America,  having  discovered 

*  Introduction,  p.  329,  333. 

t  Cited  by  Edwards  in  his  History  of  the  W.  Indies,  vol.  i., 
p.  109. 
t  Decad.  i.,  book  ii.,  chap.  vii. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  53 

the  Island  of  Guadaloupe,  "found  a  piece  of 
timber  belonging  to  a  ship,  which  the  seamen 
call  the  stern-post,  which  they  much  admired, 
not  knowing  which  way  it  should  come  thith- 
er, unless  carried  by  tempestuous  weather 
from  the  Canaries,  or  from  the  Island  of  His- 
paniola,"  where  the  admiral's  ship  was  cast 
away  in  his  former  voyage.  Ferdinand  Co- 
lumbus,  in  the  life  of  his  father,*  does  not 
distinctly  assert  this,  but  speaks  of  their  find- 
ing "  an  iron  pan,"  and  endeavours  to  ac- 
count for  it  by  saying,  "  that  the  stones  there 
being,  of  the  colour  of  iron,  a  person  of  an  indif- 
ferent judgment  might  mistake  the  one  for  the 
other."  Not  content  with  this  solution,  he 
goes  on  thus  :  "  though  it  were  of  iron,  it 
was  not  to  be  admired,  because  the  Indians 
of  the  Island  of  Guadaloupe,  being  Carib- 
bees,  and  making  their  excursions  to  rob  as 
far  as  Hispaniola,  perhaps  they  had  that  pan 
of  the  Christians,  or  of  the  other  Indians  of 
Hispaniola-;  and  it  is  possible  they  might 
carry  the  body  of  the  ship  the  admiral  lost  to 
make  use  of  the  iron  ;  and  though  it  were  not 
the  hulk  of  that  ship,  it  might  be  the  remain- 
der of  some  other  wreck,  carried  thither  by 
the  wind  and  current  from  our  parts." 

*  Chapter  xlvii.,  in  Churchill's  Collections,  vol.  it 

E  2 


64  PRELIMINARY  DISSERTATION. 

The  improbability  of  the  Indians  having 
carried  "  the  body  or  hulk  of  the  ship  which 
the  admiral  lost"  from  the  northern  side  of 
Hispaniola  to  the  eastern  side  of  Guadaloupe, 
will  appear  from  the  distance,  which  is  not 
less  than  two  hundred  leagues  in  a  direction 
opposite  to  the  constant  blowing  of  the  wind. 
Nor  will  Herrera's  conjecture,  that  the  stern- 
post  of  the  admiral's  ship  was  carried  thither 
by  a  tempest,  be  readily  admitted  by  any 
who  are  acquainted  with  the  navigation  of 
the  West  Indies ;  for  it  must  have  passed 
through  a  multitude  of  islands  and  rocks, 
and,  without  a  miracle,  could  scarcely  have 
come  entire  from  so  great  a  distance  in  such 
foul  seas.  But  the  difficulty  is  farther  in- 
creased by  considering  what  Don  Ferdinand 
and  Herrera  have  both  asserted,  that,  when 
Columbus  had  lost  his  ship,  "  he  built  a  fort 
with  the  timber,  whereof  he  lost  no  part,  but 
made  use  of  it  all  ;"*  and  this  fort  was  after- 
ward burned  by  the  natives.  If,  therefore, 
there  be  any  truth  in  the  story  of  the  stern- 
post  found  at  Guadaloupe,  it  must  have  be- 
longed to  some  other  vessel,  either  foundered 
at  sea  or  wrecked  on  the  shore. 

Under  the  head  of  fortuitous  visits  to  the 
*  Life  of  Columbus,  chap,  xxriv.  Herrera, book  i.,  chap,  xviii. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION  55 

American  Continent  may  be  included  a  cir- 
cumstance mentioned  by  Peter  Martyr,*  that, 
not  far  from  a  place  called  Quarequa  in 
the  Gulf  of  Darien,  Vasco  Nunez  met  with  a 
colony  of  negroes.  From  the  smallness  of 
their  number  it  was  supposed  that  they  had 
not  been  long  arrived  on  that  coast. t  These 
negroes  could  have  come  in  no  other  vessels 
but  canoes  ;  a  circumstance  by  no  means  in- 
credible to  those  who  have  read  the  accounts 
of  Cook  and  other  navigators  of  the  tropical 
seas. 

To  these  facts  may  be  added  the  casual 
discovery  of  Brazil  by  the  Portuguese  com- 
mander Pedro  Alvarez  Cabral,  in  his  voyage 
to  India  in  the  year  1500,  an  account  of 
which  is  preserved  by  Dr.  Robertson. t  "  In 
order  to  avoid  the  calms  near  the  coast  of 
Africa,  he  stood  out  to  sea,  and  kept  so  far 
west  that,  to  his  surprise,  he  found  Jiimself  on 
the  shore  of  an  unknown  country,  in  the  tenth 
degree  of  south  latitude.  He  imagined  at 
first  that  it  was  some  island  in  the  Atlantic 
Ocean ;  but,  proceeding  along  its  coast  for 
several  days,  he  was  gradually  led  to  believe 

*  De  orbe  novo,  Decad.  iii.,  chap  i. 

t  Edwards's  Hist.  West  Indies,  vol  i.  p.  ]  10. 

t  Hist.  America,  vol.  i.,  p.  151. 


66  PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION. 

that  a  country  so  extensive  formed  a  part  of 
some  great  continent." 

These  instances  may  serve  as  so  many  spe- 
cimens of  the  manner  in  which  America 
might  have  proved  an  asylum  to  some  of  the 
ancient  navigators  of  the  African  coasts  or 
of  the  Canary  Islands  ;  and  being  arrived,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  them  to  return.  The 
same  winds  which  brought  them  hither,  con- 
tinuing to  blow  from  the  eastward,  would  ei- 
ther discourage  them  from  making  the  at- 
tempt, or  oblige  them  to  put  back  if  they  had 
made  it.  No  argument,  then,  can  be  drawn 
from  hence  in  favour  of  a  mutual  intercourse 
between  this  and  the  old  continent.  Those 
who  would  prove  that  America  was  known  to 
the  ancients .  must  produce  better  evidence 
than  they  have  yet  produced,  if  they  contend 
for  any  other  knowledge  than  what  was  ac- 
quired by»casual  discoverers  who  never  re- 
turned. 

The  opinion  that  America  was  peopled 
in  part  by  the  Phoenicians  was  long  since 
maintained  by  Hornius ;  and,  though  reject- 
ed by  many  succeeding  writers,  has  been 
lately  revived  by  Bryan  Edwards,*  a  well-in- 
formed merchant  of  the  Island  of  Jamaica. 
*  Hist.  W.  Indies,  vol.  i.,  p.  103,  4to. 


PRELIMINARY   DISSERTATION.  57 

He  extends  the  argument  no  farther  than  to 
the  Charaibe  nation,  who  inhabited  the  Wind- 
ward Islands  and  some  part  of  the  Southern 
Continent,  "  whose  manners  and  characteris- 
tic features  denote  a  different  Ancestry  from 
the  generality  of  the  American  nations."  In 
support  of  this  opinion,  he  has  produced, 
perhaps,  as  much  evidence  from  a  similarity 
of  manners  and  language  as  a  subject  of 
such  remote  antiquity  can  admit. 

To  this  elegant  work  I  must  refer  the  read- 
er, and  shall  add  one  only  remark,  arising 
from  the  preceding  observations,  that  if  any 
accession  of  inhabitants  was  made  to  Ameri- 
ca by  the  desultory  migration  of  the  Phoeni- 
cian or  Carthaginian  navigators,  it  is  most 
rational  to  look  for  them  between  the  tropics, 
the  very  place  where  the  Charaibes  were 
found 


A  CHRONOLOGICAL 

DETAIL  OF  ADVENTURES  AND  DISCOVERIES  MADE  BT 
THE  EUROPEAN  NATIONS  IN  AMERICA  BEFORE  THE 
ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  PLYMOUTH  IN 

1620. 

Those  marked  with  55"  are  more  particularly  enlarged  upon  in  the  Lire* 
of  the  Adventurers. 

A.D.  BIRON,  a  Norman,  accidentally  discovered  a 
1001.  country  which  was  afterward  called  Winland, 
KJ"  and  is  supposed  to  be  a  part  of  the  Island  of 

Newfoundland.  * — Crantz.     Pontoppidan. 
1170.     MADOC,  prince  of  Wales,  emigrated,  and,  it 
KJ"    is  thought,  discovered  a  new  country  in  the 

West. — Hakluyt,  iii.,  1. 

1358.  An  island  called  Estotiland  was  discovered  by 
E~p  a  fisherman  of  Frisland,  as  related  by  ZENO. — 

Ibid.,  124. 

1492.  CHRISTOPHER   COLUMBUS,  in  the  ser- 
in?    vice  of  Spain,  discovered  Guanahani,  and  other 

islands  called  Bahamas  and  Antilles. — Ferd.  Co- 
lumbus. 

1493.  COLUMBUS  maa'e  a  second  voyage,  and  dis- 
covered Dominica,  and  other  islands  called  Car- 
ibbees. — Ibid. 

1497.  JOHN  CABOT,  with  his  son  SEBASTIAN, 
in  the  service  of  HENRY  VII.  of  England,  dis- 
covered the  Island  of  Newfoundland  and  some 
parts  of  a  western  Continent,  as  far  northward 

*  See  the  Life  of  Biron,  p.  80. 


60  EARLY  ADVENTURERS. 

as  lat.  45°,  and  as  far  southward  as  lat.  38°.— 
HaUuyt,  iii.,  4-11. 

J498.  COLUMBUS  made  a  third  voyage,  and  dis- 
covered the  Western  Continent,  in  lat  10°  N. — 
Ferd.  Col. 

1499.  OJEDA,*  a  private  adventurer,  and  AMER- 
IGO VESPUCCI,f  followed  the  track  of  COLUM 

.  BUS,  and  discovered  the  Western  Continent,  of 
which  Amerigo,  after  his  return  to  Europe, 
wrote  an  account,  and  published  it,  from  which 
the  continent  obtained  the  name  of  AMERICA. 
— Robertson. 

1500.  CABRAL,{  in  the  service  of  Portugal,  bound 

*  [Alonzo  de  Ojeda,  a  man  of  singular  bravery  and  prowess,  who 
had  early  signalized  himself  in  the  Moorish  wars.  He  had  ac- 
companied Columbus  in  his  second  voyage.  The  merchants  of 
Seville,  by  the  influence  of  the  Bishop  of  Badajos,  who  also  pro- 
cured for  him  the  journal  and  charts  of  Columbus,  put  four  ships 
under  his  command.  He  made  a  second,  but  unsuccessful,  voyage 
in  1501.  He  had  shown  himself  to  be*  man  of  courage  and  skill, 
and  was  afterward  (1509?)  appointed  by  Ferdinand  governor  of 
that  part  of  the  continent  which  extends  from  Cape  de  Vela  to 
the  Gulf  of  Darien.  This  government,  however,  was  soon  broken 
up  by  the  resolute  resistance  of  the  natives. — See  Irving's  Life  ot 
Columbus,  vol.  iii. — H.] 

t  [Vespucci  was  a  gentleman  of  Florence,  born  March  9,  1451, 
a  man  of  science,  and  an  experienced  navigator.  He  returned  to 
Spain  in  June,  1500.  His  account  of  his  voyage  and  discoveries 
was  "  drawn  up  not  only  with  art,  but  with  some  elegance."  The 
next  year  he  made  a  voyage  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  Portu- 
gal, and  touched  on  the  coast  of  Brazil.  Again,  in  1503  he  sailed 
for  the  East  Indies,  but  returned  in  June,  1504,  having  gone  no 
farther  than  Brazil.  He  afterward  lived  in  Spain,  in  the  capacity 
of  chief  pilot,  where  he  died,  Feb.  22,  1512.— Irving's  Columbus 
ii.,  246.— H.] 

$  [Pedro  Alvarez  Cabral.  After  the  return  of  De  Gama  from 
his  voyage  to  the  East  Indies,  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the 


EARLY  ADVENTURERS.  61 

to  India,  discovered  by  accident  the  Continent 
of  America,  in  lat.  10°  south,  which  was  called 
Brazil. — Robertson. 

J502.  COLUMBUS  made  his  fourth  and  last  voyage 
to  the  new  continent  in  quest  of  a  passage 
through  it  to  India. — Ferd.  Col. 

1512.  JOHN  PONCE,*  in  the  service  of  Spain,  dis- 
covered the  new  continent  in  the  latitude  of  30° 
N.,  and  called  it  Florida. — Herrera. 

1513.  VASCO    NUNEZ,f    a    Spaniard,    travelled 

King  of  Portugal  fitted  out  a  large  fleet  to  prosecute  these  discov- 
eries, and  gave  the  command  of  it  to  Cabral.  To  avoid  the  varia- 
ble winds  and  calms  which  he  anticipated  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
he  stood  out  to  sea,  and  so  far  that  he  fell  in  with  an  unknown 
country,  along  which  he  sailed  for  several  days.  Concluding  it  to 
be  a  portion  of  the  continent,  he  landed  and  look  formal  possession 
in  the  name  of  the  king,  and  sent  immediately  a  ship  to  Lisbon 
with  an  account  of  his  unexpected  discovery. — H.] 

*  [Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  "  an  officer  eminent  for  conduct  no  less 
than  for  courage."  He  had  subdued  the  Island  of  Puerto  Rico  in 
1509  and  the  following  years.  For  the  discovery  of  Florida  he 
equipped  three  ships  at  his  own  expense,  and  found  daring  spirits 
enough  who  were  eager  to  share  the  dangers  and  honours  of  his 
enterprise.  The  name  Florida  was  given  to  the  newly-found  re- 
gion because  he  reached  it  on  Palm  Sunday  (Pascua  Florida). 
He  is  said  to  have  undertaken  this  voyage  from  a  most  romantic 
motive ;  to  search  for  a  fountain,  which  the  Indians  had  reported 
of  such  marvellous  virtue,  that  whoever  bathed  in  it  put  off  at 
once  the  infirmities  of  age,  and  was.  renewed  in  the  .vigour  and 
beauty  of  youth ;  a  tale  which  the  simple  native  honestly  told,  and 
which  the  no  less  credulous  Spaniards  fully  believed. — H.] 

t.[Vasco  Nunes  de  Balboa  was  of  a  noble  family  of  Xeres,  in 
Estremadura,  and  born  in  the  year  1475.  His  first  voyage  to 
America  was  made  in  1500,  under  Bastides.  He  resided  some 
time  at  St.  Domingo,  where  he  became  involved  in  debt ;  and  to 
escape,  secreted  himself  on  board  a  ship  bound  for  the  continent. 
They  reached  Darien,  where  his  energy  gained  him  favour  with 

VOL.  I F 


62  EARLY   ADVENTURERS. 

across  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and  from  a  mount 
ain  discovered  on,  the  other  side  of  the  conti- 
nent an  ocean,  which,  from  the  direction  in 
which  he  saw  it,  took  the  name  of  the  South  Sea. 
— Robertson. 

1519.  HERNANDO  CORTEZ,*  in  the  service  of 
Spain,  entered  the  city  of  Mexico,  and,  in  the 
space  of  two  years,  reduced  the  whole  country 
under  the  dominion  of  the  King  of  Spain. — Ibid. 

1520.  FERDINAND  DE  MAGELLANES,f  a  Por- 
tuguese in  the  service  of  Spain,  passed  through 

the  men,  and  he  was  put  in  command  of  the  colony.  From  this 
point  he  made  many  expeditions,  and  first  gained  a  sight  of  the 
South  Sea.  He  was  brought  to  trial  by  the  jealousy  of  Pedrarias 
Davila,  who  had  been  appointed  governor  of  that  country,  and 
beheaded  by  his  orders  in  the  year  1527. — H.] 

*  [Hernando  Cortez  was  born  at  Medellin,  in  Spain,  in  the  year 
1485,  and  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Salamanca.  He  was 
of  an  adventurous  disposition,  and  the  prospect  of  riches  and  dis 
covery  in  the  New  World  was  just  suited  to  his  ardent  and  rest- 
less mind.  He  sailed  for  America  in  1504,  and  stayed  many  years 
in  St.  Domingo,  where  he  was  married.  He  started  for  Mexico 
Feb.  19,  1519.  After  the  conquest  of  that  country,  he  relumed  to 
Spain  in  1523,  and  was  appointed  governor  of  a  province  in  the 
land  he  had  subdued.  He  returned  again  to  Spain  in  1540,  and 
died  there,  Dec.  2,  1547.  Cruel,  perhaps,  and  unscrupulous,  he 
was  yet  daring,  sagacious,  enthusiastic,  heroic,  and  of  a  generous 
spirit. — H.] 

t  [Ferdinand  de  Magalhaens,  or  Magellan,  was  a  gentleman 
of  honourable  birth,  and  had  served  with  much  distinction  as  a 
soldier  in  the  East  Indies.  He  proposed  to  Emanuel,  then  king 
of  Portugal,  to  conduct  a  fleet  by  a  westerly  course  to  the  Spice 
Islands.  His  scheme  being  rejected,  he  made  the  same  offer  to 
the  court  of  Spain ;  and,  having  been  furnished  with  five  ships, 
sailed  from  Seville  Aug.  10,  1519.  He  was  slain  April  20,  1520,  a 
man  of  great  energy,  judgment,  and  resolution.— Robertson.— H.] 


EARLY   ADVENTURERS.  63 

the  strait  which  bears  his  name,  and  sailed 
across  the  South  Sea,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Pacific.  He  discovered  the  Philippine 
Islands,  and  was  there  killed  in  a  skirmish  with 
the  natives.  The  ship,  under  the  command  of 
SEBASTIAN  DEL  CANO,  returned  to  Spain  by  way 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thus  performed 
the  first  circumnavigation  of  the  globe. — Life  of 
Magettanes. 

1524.  JOHN  DE  VERAZZANI,*  a  Florentine  in  the 
service  of  FRANCIS  I.,  king  of  France,  discovered 
the  new  continent  in  lat.  34°  N.,  sailed  north- 
ward to  lat.  41°,  where  he  entered  a  harbour, 
which,  by  his  description,  must  be  that  of  New- 
York.  Thence  he  sailed  E.  and  N.E.  as  far  as 
Newfoundland,  and  called  the  whole  country 
New  France. — Hakluyt,  iii.,  295-300. 

$  [Giovanni  Verazzano  was  born  of  a  distinguished  family  at 
Florence  about  the  year  1475.  He  was  early  distinguished  by  a 
passion  for  adventure,  travelled  in  Syria  and  Egypt,  lived  several 
years  at  Cairo,  and  navigated  the  Mediterranean  and  Adriatic  Seas. 
He  was  selected  by  Francis  I.  to  conduct  the  first  expedition  fitted 
out  by  France  for  the  purpose  of  maritime  discovery.  He  sailed 
from  a  rock  near  the  Island  of  Madeira,  Jan.  17, 1524,  with  a  single 
ship,  the  Dolphin,  fifty  men,  and  provisions  for  eight  months,  and 
explored  the  coast  of  America  from  Florida  to  Newfoundland, 
from  34°  to  50°  north,  a  space  of  700  leagues,  entered  the  Hudson 
River  and  Narraganset  Bay,  and  returned  to  Dieppe  early  in  July 
of  the  same  year.  A  translation  of  the  report  he  made  to  Francis 
is  given  in  Hakluyt,  as  cited  in  the  text ;  and  a  sketch  of  the 
same,  with  an  estimate  of  the  character  of  Verazzano,  may  be 
consulted  in  the  North  American  Review,  vol.  xlv.,  p.  293-311, 
by  G.  W.  Greene,  U.  S.  consul  at  Rome.  He  is  said  to  have  made 
a  second  voyage  of  discovery,  and,  on  landing,  to  have  been  ta- 
ken prisoner  by  the  natives,  and  devoured  in  sight  of  his  comrades 
-H.] 


64  EARLY   ADVENTURERS. 

1525.  STEPHEN  GOMEZ,  in  the  service  of  Spain, 
sailed  to  Florida,  and  thence  to  Cape  Race,  in 
lat.  46°  N.,  in  search  of  a  N.W.  passage  to  In- 
dia.— Herrera. 

1526.  FRANCIS  PI  ZARRO*  sailed  from  Panama 
to  Peru,  and  began  the  conquest  of  that   rich 
and  populous  country. — Purchas. 

1528.  PAMPHILO  DE  NARVAEZ,f  in  the  service 
of  Spain,  sailed  from  Cuba  with  400  men  to  con- 
quer Florida.  His  purpose  was  defeated  by  a 
tempest,  in  which  he  was  wrecked  on  the  coast. 
— Herrera.  Purchas. 

1534.  JAMES  CARTIER,  in  the  service  of  France, 
KF     discovered  and  named  the  Bay  de  Chaleur  and 

the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  —  Hakluyt,  iii.,  201- 
212. 

1535.  CARTIER  made  a  second  voyage,  discovered 
KP     the  great  river  of  Canada,  and  sailed  up  as  far 

as  Hochelaga,  which  he  named  Montreal.  He 
wintered  in  a  little  harbour  near  the  west  end 
of  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  which  he  called  Port  de 

*  [Francisco  Pizarro  was  a  native  of  Truxillo,  born  about  the 
year  1500.  Already  trained  to  fatigue  and  martial  enterprise,  he 
accompanied  Balboa  in  his  expedition  across  the  Isthmus  of  Da- 
rien  in  1509.  He  started  from  Panama  on  his  expedition  to  Peru, 
Nov.  14,  1524,  and  was  engaged  in  it  three  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Spain,  and  was  appointed  by  the  emperor  governor  and 
admiral  of  the  region  he  had  discovered.  His  progress  there  was 
marked  with  acts  of  extreme  cruelty  and  rapine,  but  the  conquest 
was  completely  successful.  When  his  triumph  seemed  most  en- 
tire, he  was  slain,  June  26,  1531,  by  a  conspiracy  of  some  of  his 
followers,  who  feared  and  hated  him.— H.] 

t  [De  Narvaez,  an  officer  of  some  courage,  and  much  haughti- 
ness and  self-confidence,  had  been  sent  by  Velasquez  to  Mexico 
in  April,  1520,  to  arrest  and  supersede  Cortez,  by  whom  he  was 
attacked  and  made  prisoner.— H.] 


EARLY   ADVENTURERS.  65 

1536.  St.  Croix.  The  next  summer  he  returned  to 
France,  carrying  some  of  the  natives. — Hakluyt, 
iii.,  21-2-232. 

1539.  FERDINANDO  DE  SOTO»  sailed  from  Cu- 
ID3     ba  with  900  men  to  conquer  Florida.     He  trav- 
ersed the  country  in  various  directions  for  three 

1542.  years,  and  died  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 

1543.  The  surviving  part  of  his  army  returned  to  Cuba. 
— Herrera.     Purchas. 

1540.  CARTIER  made  a  third  voyage  to  Canada, 
built  a  fort  and  began  a  settlement,  which  he 

1541   called  Charleburg,  four  leagues  above  the  Port  de 
or     St.  Croix.     He  broke   up  the   settlement   and 

1542.  sailed  to  Newfoundland. — Hakluyt,  iii.,  232-240. 
ROBERVAL,  with  three  ships  and  200  per- 
sons, going  to  recruit  the  settlement  in  Canada, 
met  Cartier  at  Newfoundland,  and  would  have 
obliged  him  to  return  ;  but  he  gave  him  the  slip 
and  sailed  for  France.  ROBERVAL  proceeded  up 
the  River  St.  Lawrence  four  leagues  above  the 
Island  of  Orleans,  where  he  found  a  convenient 
harbour  and  place  for  a  fortification.  Here  he 
built  a  fort,  and  remained  over  the  winter.  The 
next  year  he  returned  to  France  with  his  colony. 
— Ibid.,  240-242. 

During  the  succeeding  thirty  years  the  passion 
for  discovery  took  another  direction.  Adventu- 
rers from  Europe  were  seeking  a  passage  to  In- 
dia and  China  by  the  N.E.,  but  were  prevented1 

*  [See  also  Hakluyt,  vol.  v.,  ed.  1810,  and  "A  Relation  of  the 
Invasion  and  Conquest  of  Florida  by  the  Spaniards,  under  the 
command  of  Ferdinando  de  Soto,  written  in  Portuguese  by  a 
gentleman  of  the  town  of  Elvas,  now  Englished,"  &c.,  London, 
1680.  Solo's  army  consisted  of  600  men. — See  p.  258,  note. — H.] 

F  2 


66  EARLY   ADVENTURERS. 

from  accomplishing  their  views  by  the  cold  and 
ice  of  those  inhospitable  regions. — Forster. 

In  this  interval,  the  French  of  Brittany,  the 
Spaniards  of  Biscay,  and  the  Portuguese,  enjoy- 
ed the  fishery  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland 
without  interruption. — Purchas. 

1562.  Under  the  patronage  of  CHATILLON,  High-ad- 
miral of  France,  JOHN  RIBALT*  attempted  a 
settlement  in  Florida.  He  entered  a  river  in  lat. 
32°  on  the  first  of  May,  which  from  that  circum- 
stance he  named  the  River  May,  and  the  entrance 
he  called  Port  Royal.  Here  he  built  a  fort, 
which,  in  honour  of  CHARLES  IX.  of  France,  he 
called  Fort  Charles.  After  his  departure  the 
people  mutinied  and  returned  to  France. — Hak- 
luyt,  iii.,  308-319,  and  Purchas. 

1564.  LAUDONIEREf  renewed  the  settlement  and 
called  the  country  Carolina,  after  the  reigning 
monarch  of  France.  This  colony  was  on  good 
terms  with  the  natives,  but  suffered  by  famine. 
They  were  relieved  by  SIR  JOHN  HAWKINS,  an 
Englishman,  who  offered  to  carry  them  to 
France ;  but  the  hope  of  finding  silver  induced 

*  [John  Ribault,  as  the  name  is  commonly  spelled,  sailed  with 
two  ships,  Feb.  18,  1562,  reached  Florida  in  March,  and  returned 
to  Dieppe  July  20th  of  the  same  year.  Laudoniere  commends 
him  as  "  a  man  in  truth  expert  in  sea  causes."  He  came  again  '.<> 
Florida,  Aug.  28,  1565,  with  a  commission  to  be  governor  there, 
and  remained  till  he  was  killed  by  the  Spaniards  under  Melendes. 
-H.] 

•f  [Rene  Laudoniere  had  accompanied  Ribault  in  his  first  expe- 
dition, and  was  superseded  by  him  in  his  second.  Meanwhile,  he 
sniled  from  France  April  22, 1564,  under  the  orders  of  De  Chastil 
Ion.  He  reached  Florida  June  22d.  After  the  destruction  of 
their  fort,  Laudoniere  returned  through  England  to  France.— H.] 


EARLY   ADVENTURERS.  67 

them  to  stay,  till  RIBALT  arrived  with  seven  sail 
1565.  of  vessels.— Hakluyt,  iii.,  319-349. 

PEDRO  MELENDES,inthe  service  of  Spain, 
came  with  a  superior  force,  killed  Ribalt  and 
most  of  his  company,  and  took  possession  of  the 
country,  building  three  forts. — Ibid.,  352-356. 
1568.  GOURGUES,*  from  France,  with  the  help  of 
the  natives,  who  hated  the  Spaniards,  broke  up 
the  Spanish  settlements  in  Florida,  and  return- 
ed to  France,  leaving  the  country  desert. — Ibid., 
356-360. 

1576.  All  attempts  to  find  a  N.E.  passage  to  India 
being  frustrated,  MARTIN  FROBISHER,  in  the 
service  of  ELIZABETH,  queen  of  England,  sailed 
in  search  of  a  N.W.  passage. 

1577.  He  made  a  second  voyage. 

1578.  He  made  a  third  voyage. 

These  voyages  were  made  to  Greenland,  and 
produced  no  material  discovery.  He  sailed 
through  a  strait  which  still  bears  his  name,  but 
is  now  impassable  by  reason  of  fixed  ice. — Hak- 
luyt and  Crantz. 

SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKEf  being  on  a  cruise 
*  [Dominique  de  Gourgues,  "  a  gentleman  and  a  well  tried  and 
valiant  soldier,"  undertook  this  expedition  chiefly  at  his  own  ex. 
pense,  fitting  out  three  vessels  and  more  than 'two  hundred  men. 
They  sailed,  Aug.  22d,  1567,  from  France  ;  and  attacked  the  first 
fort  of  the  Spaniards  on  Easter  day,  in  April,  1568.  They  return- 
ed to  France  in  June  of  the  same  year.  Gourgues  died  in  1582. 
-H-] 

t  [This  famous  navigator  was  born  in  the  year  1545,  of  obscure 
parentage.  He  became  a  seaman  when  very  young,  and  was  made 
captain  of  a  ship  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  He  was  engaged  in 
many  important  naval  enterprises,  particularly  in  the  half-piratical 
expeditions  against  the  Spaniards.  In  1577-1580,  with  five  ships 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  men,  he  sailed  round  the  globe. — 
I.— F 


68  EARLY  ADVENTURERS. 

against  the  Spaniards  in  the  South  Sea,  landed 
on  the  Continent  of  America,  northward  of  Cal- 
ifornia, took  possession  of  a  harbour,  and  called 
the  circumjacent  country,  between  lat.  38°  and 
42°,  New  Albion. — Hakluyt. 

1579.      SIR  HUMPHREY   GILBERT    obtained   of 
dp     QUEEN  ELIZABETH  a  patent  for  all  countries  not 
possessed  by  any  Christian  prince. — Purchas. 

1583.  GILBERT  sailed  to  Newfoundland ;  took  for- 
mal possession  of  it  and  of  the  Continent  of 
North  America  for  the  crown  of  England.     In 
his  return  his  ship  foundered  and  he  was  lost. 
— Ibid. 

SIR  ADRIAN  GILBERT  obtained  of  QUEEN 
ELIZABETH  a  patent  for  the  discovery  of  a  N.W. 
passage,  to  remain  in  force  five  years. — Hak- 
luyt, ill.,  96. 

1584.  SIR  WALTER  RALEIGH  obtained  of  QUEEN 
ID3     ELIZABETH  a  patent  for  lands  not  possessed  by 

any  Christian  prince,  by  virtue  of  which  he  sent 
PHILIP  AMADAS  and  ARTHUR  BARLOW 
to  explore  the  country  called  by  the  Spaniards 
Florida.— Ibid.,  243-251. 

1585.  Under    the   authority   of    GILBERT'S    patent, 
JOHN  DAVIS  sailed  from  England  in  search 
of  a*N.W.  passage. — Ibid.,  98-103. 

1586.  He  made  a  second  voyage. — Ib.,  103-111. 

1587.  He  made  a  third  voyage.— J^.,  111-121. 
DAVIS  explored  the  western  coast  of  Green- 

Hakluyt,  iii.,  730-742.  The  next  year  the  queen  conferred  on 
him  the  honour  of  knighthood,  and  in  1588  he  was  appointed  vice- 
admiral,  under  Lord  Howard  of  Effingham.  He  died  Jan.  28, 
1596,  having  gained  an  unequalled  reputation  for  nautical  skill  and 
personal  courage.— See  Campbell's  Lives  of  the  Admirals,  vo?  ,ii.,  p. 
37-55.— H.] 


EARLY    ADVENTURERS.  69 

land  and  part  of  the  opposite  coast  of  the  Conti- 
nent of  America  ;  the  strait  between  them  bears 
his  name.  He  also  discovered  another  strait, 
which  he  called  Cumberland. — Hakluyt. 

1585.  SIR   WALTER   RALEIGH   sent  SIR  RICHARD 
GRENVILLE  to  Florida.     He  landed  a  colony 
of  100  people  at  Roanoak  and  returned. — Ibid., 
iii.,  251-265. 

1586.  SIR  FRANCIS  DRAKE,  returning  from  his 
expedition  against  the  Spaniards,  took  the  colo- 
ny on  board  and  carried  them  to  England. — 
Ibid.,  264. 

Sir  RICHARD  GRENVILLE  arrived  after 
their  departure  and  landed  another  smaller  col- 
ony.— Ibid.,  265. 

1587.  Sir  WALTER  RALEIGH  sent  another  company, 
under  the  command  of  JOHN  WHITE,  to  colo- 
nize the  country  which  QUEEN  ELIZABETH  called 
Virginia,  in  honour  of  her  own  virginity.     The 
second  colony  were  not  to  be  found.     One  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  persons  were  landed  to  make  a 
third  colony,  and  the  governor  returned  to  Eng- 
land for  supplies. — Purchas. 

1590.  GEORGE  WHITE  was  sent  to  Virginia,  but, 
finding  none  of  the  third  colony  living,  returned 
to  England. — Ibid. 

1592.      JUAN  DE  FUCA,  a  Greek,  in  the  service 

IE?  of  Spain,  was  sent  by  the  Viceroy  of  Mexico  to 
discover  a  N.W.  passage,  by  exploring  the 
western  side  of  the  American  Continent.  He 
discovered  a  strait,  which  bears  his  name,  in 
the  48th  degree  of  N.  latitude,  and  supposed 
it  to  be  the  long-desired  passage. — Purchas. 

1583.      HENRY  MAY,  an  Englishman,    returning 


70 


EARLT   ADVENTURERS. 


from  the  East  Indies  in  a  French  ship,  was 
wrecked  on  the  Island  of  Bermuda,  where  he 
found  swine,  from  which  circumstance  it  ap- 
peared that  some  other  vessel  had  been  there 
before.  The  company  built  a  boat  of  cedar, 
calked  it,  and  payed  the  seams  with  lime  mix- 
ed with  turtles'  fat,  and  sailed  to  Newfoundland, 
whence  they  got  a  passage  to  England. — HaJtluyt. 

1593.  GEORGE  WEYMOUTH  sailed  from  Eng- 
or    land  to  discover  a  N.W.  passage.     He  visited 

1594.  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  sailed  30  miles  up  an 
K?     inlet  in  the  latitude  of  56°,  but  made  no  ma- 
terial discovery. — Forster. 

1598.  DE  LA  ROCHE  obtained  from  HENRY  IV.  of 
France  a  commission  to  conquer  Canada,  and 
other  countries  not  possessed  by  any  Christian 
prince.  He  sailed  from  France  with  a  colony 
of  convicts  from  the  prisons ;  landed  40  on  the 
Isle  of  Sable.  After  seven  years  the  survivers, 
being  12  in  number,  were  taken  off  and  carried 
home  to  France,  where  HENRY  pardoned  them, 
and  gave  them  50  crowns  each  as  a  recompense 
for  their  sufferings. — Purchas.  Forster. 

1600.  Q.  ELIZABETH  established  by  charter  a 
company  of  merchants  in  England,  with  an  ex- 
clusive privilege  of  trading  to  the  East  Indies. — 
Tablet  of  Memory. 

1602.  BARTHOLOMEW  GOSNOLD,  an  English- 
ID3    man,  discovered  a  promontory  on  the  American 

coast;,  in  lat.  42°,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Cape  Cod.  He  landed  on  an  island  which  he 
called  -Elizabeth,  and  built  a  small  fort ;  but  the 
same  summer  returned  to  England. — Purchas. 

1603.  DE  MONTS  obtained  of  HENRY  IV.  of  France 


EARLY   ADVENTURERS.  71 

EJ"  a  patent  for  the  planting  of  ISAcadia  and  Cana- 
da, from  lat.  40°  to  46°.— Purchas. 

K?  SAMUEL  CHAMPLAIN  sailed  up  the  great 
river  of  Canada,  and  returned  to  France  the 
same  year. — Ibid. 

ie^3.  DE  MONTS  sailed  from  France,  taking  CHAM- 
PLAIN  and  CHAMPDORE  for  pilots,  and  POUTRIN- 
COURT  who  intended  a  settlement  in  America. 
They  discovered  and  began  plantations  at  Port 
Royal,  St.  John's,  and  St.  Croix,  in  the  Bay  of 
Fundy. 

1610.  POUTRINCOURT  introduced  two  Jesuits 
into  Port  Royal ;  but  some  controversy  arising, 
the  Jesuits  went  to  Mount  Desert  and  began  a 
plantation  there. — Ibid. 

1605.  GEORGE  WEYMOUTH  sailed  on  a  second 
CP     voyage  to  discover  a  N.W.  passage  ;  but  fall- 
ing short,  made  the  land  in  41°  30' ;  thence  sail- 
ed to  43°  20',  and  discovered  a  great  river,  sup- 
posed to  be  either  Kennebec  or  Penobscot ;  took 
on  board  five  of  the  natives,  and  returned  to 
England.     He  put  in  at  Plymouth,  and  delivered 

in?  three  of  them  to  SIR  FERDINANDO  GORGES,  then 
governor  of  Plymouth. — Gorges. 

1606.  JAMES  I.,  king  of  England,  by  patent  divi- 
ded Virginia  into  two  districts,  called  North  and 
South  Virginia.    The  southern  part,  situate  be- 
tween 34°  and  41°,  he  granted  to  a  London 
company;  the  northern  part,  situate  between 
38°  and  45°,  he  granted  to  a  Plymouth  compa- 
ny.    Neither  of  them  were  to  plant  within  100 
miles  of  the  other. — Purchas. 

(607.  CHAMPLAIN,  by  order  of  DE  MONTS,  sail- 
ed up  the  river  of  Canada  and  fortified  Quebec^ 
the  name  of  a  strait  in  the  river. — Ibid. 


72  EARLY   ADVENTURERS. 

HENRY  HUDSON,  in  the  service  of  the 

English  East  India  Company,  sailed  in  quest  of 
a  N.W.  passage.  He  attempted  to  pass  to  the 
E.  of  Greenland,  and  discovered  Spitzbergen. 
He  sailed  as  far  N.  as  82°,  but,  finding  the  sea 
obstructed  by  ice,  returned. — Forster. 

CHRISTOPHER  NEWPORT  sailed  to 
Virginia,  and  began  a  colony  at  Jamestown.  ED- 
WARD WINGFIELD  was  president,  but  JOHN  SMITH 
was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  colony. — Smith. 
Purchas. 

GEORGE  POPHAM*  sailed  to  North  Vir- 
ginia, and  began  a  plantation  at  Sagadahock,  of 
which  he  was  president.  In  the  winter,  the 
ships*  returned  to  England,  leaving  45  persons 
1608.  behind.  Their  president  dying,  the  next  spring 
they  broke  up  the  plantation  and  went  back  to 
England.  This  winter  was  remarkably  severe 
both  in  America  and  England. — Purchas. 

1608.  HUDSON,  in  the  service  of  the  English  East 
India  Company,  undertook  a  second  voyage  of 
discovery,  and  attempted  to  pass  on  both  sides 
of  Nova  Zembla ;  but  the  ice  being  impenetrable, 
he  returned. — Ibid. 

NELSON  re-enforced  the  colony  of  South 
Virginia  with  120  people. — Ibid. 

1609.  CHAMPLAIN  returned  to  France,  leaving 
Captain  PIERRE  to  command  at  Quebec. — Ibid. 

HUDSON,  in  the  service  of  the  DUTCH,  made 
a  third  voyage,  and  discovered  the  rwer  which 
bears  his  name  in  lat.  41°. 

SIR  GEORGE  SOMERS,  bound  to  South  Vir  . 

*  See  the  Life  of  F.  Gorges. 


EARLY    M  VENTURERS.  73 

ginia,  was  wrecked  on  Bermuda,  whence  those 
islands  took  the  name  Somer  Islands. — Smith. 
Purchas. 

1610.      CHAMPLAIN  revisited  Quebec  and  took  the 
command  there. — Purchas. 

HUDSON,  in  the  service  of  ihe  English  East 
India  Company,  discovered  the  strait  and  bay 
which  bear  his  name,  and  passed  the  winter  there, 
intending  to  pursue  his  discoveries  in  the  ensu- 
ing spring ;  but  his  crew  mutinied,  and  turned  him 
adrift  in  his  boat,  with  seven  others,  who  were 
never  more  heard  of. — Purchas.  Campbell. 

1610.  SIR  GEORGE  SOMERS,  having  built  a  pin- 
nace at  Bermuda,  sailed  to  South  Virginia  ;  the 
colony  determined  to  return  to  England ;  but,  in 
sailing  down  James's  River,  met  Lord  DELA- 
WARE with  a  re-enforcement,  by  which  they  were 
encouraged  to  return  and  resume  the  plantation. 
— Purchas. 

JOHN  GUY,  with  a  company  of  forty  persons, 
began  a  colony  at  the  Bay  of  Conception,  in  New- 
foundland.— Ibid. 

1611.  SIR  THOMAS  DALE  re-enforced  the  colony 
ID3     of   South  Virginia  with  300  people,   and   Sir 

THOMAS  GATES  with  300  more,  furnishing  them 
with  cattle  and  swine,  and  thus  that  colony  was 
established. — Ibid. 

1612.  The  colony  at  Newfoundland  was  augmented 
to  sixty  persons,  but  was  for  many  years  in  a 
very  precarious   state.     Mr.  GUY  returned  to 
England,  and  was  afterward  Mayor  of  Bristol. — 
Purchas.     Oldmixon. 

The  South  Virginia  Company  having  sold  the 
island*  *f  Bermuda  to  a  part  of  their  own  num- 


74  EARLY  ADVENTURERS. 

ber,  they  obtained  a  distinct  charter,  and  sent  a 
colony  of  ninety  persons  thither :  their  first  gov- 
ernor was  RICHARD  MOOR. — Purchas. 

1613.  The  colony  at  Bermuda  was  enlarged  by  the 
addition  of  400  persons. — Ibid. 

SIR  THOMAS  DALE,  governor  of  Virginia, 
hearing  that  the  French  had  settled  within  thje 
limits  of  the  northern  patent,  sent  Sir  SAMUEL 
ARGALL  with  a  sufficient  force  to  dislodge  them, 
which  he  did  from  Mount  Mansel  (Desert), 
St.  Croix,  and  Port  Royal,  in  the  Bay  of  Fun- 
dy.  These  Frenchmen  retired  to  Quebec  and 
strengthened  the  settlement  there.  —  Smith. 
Purchas.  Keith. 

1614.  CAPT.  JOHN  SMITH,  having  quitted  the  col- 
ony of  South  Virginia,  sailed  for  North  Virginia 
on  a  fishing  and  whaling  voyage ;  he  ranged  the 
coast  from  Penobscot  to  Cape  Cod,  and  made  a 
map  of  the  country,  which  he  first  called  New- 
England. — Smith. 

1615.  ROBERT  BYLOT  and  WILLIAM  BAFFIN 
•sailed  from  England  in  search  of  a  N.W.  pas- 
sage. 

1616.  They  made  another  voyage,  and  discovered 
the  great  northern  bay  which  bears  BAFFIN'S 
name. — Purchas.    Forster. 

1617.  During  this  and  the  two  preceding  years,  war, 
famine,  and  pestilence  raged  among  the  natives 
of  New-England,  by  which  great  numbers  were 
swept  off,  and  the  fur  trade  between  them  and 
the  Europeans  was  interrupted.—  Gorges. 

1619.      THOMAS  DERMER*  sailed  to  New-Eng- 
land ;  found  many  places,  before  populous,  al- 
*  See  the  Life  of  F.  Gorges. 


EARLY  ADVENTURERS.       •  75 

most  desolate,  and  the  few  remaining  inhabitants 
either  sick  or  but  scarcely  recovered.    In  this 
voyage  he  sailed  through  the  whole  passage  be- 
tween the  mainland  and  Long  Island,  and  first 
determined  its  insular  situation. — Gorges. 
1620.      A  company  of  ENGLISH  PURITANS,*  who 
E?     had  resided  twelve  years  in  Holland,  began  a 
colony  in  New-England,  which  they  called  New- 
Plymouth  . — Mart  on. 

K7  KING  JAMES  I.f  established  at  Plymouth,  in 
Devonshire,  a  council  for  the  planting,  ruling, 
and  ordering  of  New-England ;  and  thus  the 
business  of  colonization  was  formed  into  a  sys- 
tem. 

*  See  Life  of  W.  Bradford.  f  See  Life  of  F.  Gorges. 


THE  SUCCESSION  OF  SOVEREIGNS  OF  THE  EtTROPEAI* 
NATIONS  WHO  HAVE  HAD  POSSESSIONS  OR  CONNEX- 
IONS IN  AMERICA. 


ENGLAND. 
A.D. 

A.D. 

1792.  Republic. 

1485.  Henry  VII. 

1509.  Henry  VIII. 

1547.  Edward  VI. 

SPAIN. 

1553.  Mary. 

1474.  Ferdinand  V.  and  Is 

1558.  Elizabeth. 

abella. 

1603.  James  I. 

1504.  Philip  I. 

1625.  Charles  I. 
1648.  Commonwealth. 

1516.  Charles  I  y  ^j* 

1653.  O.  Cromwell. 

1556.  Philip  II. 

1658.  R.  Cromwell. 

1598.  Philip  III. 

1660.  Charles  II. 

1621.  Philip  IV. 

1685.  James  II. 

1665.  Charles  II. 

1688.  William  and  Mary. 

1700.  Philip  V. 

1694.  William  III. 

1746.  Ferdinand  VI. 

1701.  Anne. 

1759.  Charles  III. 

1714.  George  I. 

1789.  Charles  IV. 

1727.  George  II. 

1760.  George  III. 

> 

PORTUGAL. 

FRANCE* 

1481.  John  II. 
1495.  Emanuel. 

'21.  John  III. 

1483.  Charles  VIII. 

557.  Sebastian. 

1498.  Louis  XII. 

578.  Henry. 

1515.  Francis  I. 
1547.  Henry  II. 

580.  Philip  II.  )  of  Spam 
598.  Philip  III.  SandPor- 

1559.  Francis  II. 

621.  Philip  IV.  >tugal. 

1560.  Charles  IX. 

640.  John  IV. 

1574.  Henry  II. 

656.  Alphonso  VI. 

1589.  Henry  IV. 

667.  Peter. 

1610.  Louis  XIII. 

704.  John  V. 

1643.  Louis  XIV. 

750.  Joseph. 

1715.  Louis  XV. 

777.  Maria  Frances  Isa- 

1773. Louis  XVI. 

bella. 

AMERICAN   BIOGRAPHY. 


I.  BIRON. 

THE  ancient  inhabitants  of  Norway  and 
Denmark,  collectively  taken,  were  distin- 
guished by  the  name  of  NORMANS.  Their  sit- 
uation near  the  coast  of  the  sea,  and  the  ad- 
vantages which  that  element  presented  to 
them  beyond  all  which  they  could  expect  from 
a  rough  soil  in  a  cold  climate,  led  them  at  an 
early  period  to  the  science  and  practice  of 
navigation.  They  built  their  vessels  with  the 
best  of  oak,  and  constructed  them  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  encounter  the  storms  and  bil- 
lows of  the  Northern  Ocean.  They  covered 
them  with  decks,  and  furnished  them  with 
«high  forecastles  and  sterns.  .  They  made  use 
of  sails  as  well  as  oars,  and  had  learned  to 
trim  their  sails  to  the  wind  in  almost  any  di- 
rection. In  these  arts  of  building  ships  and 
of  navigation  they  were  superior  to  the  peo- 
ple bordering  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  who 


78  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

depended  chiefly  on  their  oars,  and  used 
sails  only  with  a  fair  wind. 

About  the  end  of  the  eighth  and  beginning 
of  the  ninth  century,  the  Normans  made 
themselves  famous  by  their  predatory  excur- 
sions. England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  the  Ork- 
ney and  Shetland  Islands,  were  objects  of 
their  depredations ;  and  in  one  of  their  pi- 
ratical expeditions  (A.D.  861)  they  discover- 
ed an  island,  which,  from  its  lofty  mountains 
covered  with  ice  and  snow,  obtained  the  name 
of  Iceland.  In  a  few  years  after  they  plant- 
ed a  colony  there,  which  was  continually 
augmented  by  migrations  from  the  neigh- 
bouring countries.  Within  the  space  of  thir- 
ty years  (889)  a  new  country,  situate  on  the 
west,  was  discovered,  and,  from  its  verdure 
during  the  summer  months,  received  the  name 
of  Greenland.  This  was  deemed  so  impor- 
tant an  acquisition,  that,  under  the  conduct 
of  ERIC  RAUDE,  or  REDHEAD,  a  Danish  chief, 
it  was  soon  peopled. 

The  emigrants  to  these  new  regions  were 
still  inflamed  with  the  passion  for  adventure 
and  discovery.  An  Icelander  of  the  name 
HERIOLF  and  his  son  BIRON*  made  a  voyage 

*  His  name  is  spelled  by  difierent  authors  BIRON,  BIORN,  Bi- 
OBRN,  and  BIAERN. 


B  I R  O  N.  79 

every  year  to  different  countries  for  the  sake 
of  traffic.  About  the  beginning  of  the  elev- 
enth century  (1001)  their  ships  were  separa- 
ted by  a  storm.  When  Biron  arrived  in  Nor- 
way, he  heard  that  his  father  was  gone  to 
Greenland,  and  he  resolved  to  follow  him . 
but  another  storm  drove  him  to  the  southwes^ 
where  he  discovered  a  flat  country,  free  from 
rocks,  but  covered  with  thick  woods,  and  an 
island  near  the  coast. 

He  made  no  longer  stay  at  either  of  these 
places  than  till  the  storm  abated,  when  by 
a  northeast  course  he  hasted  to  Greenland. 
The  discovery  was  no  sooner  known  there, 
than  LEIF,  the  son  of  Eric,  who,  like  his  fa- 
ther, had  a  strong  desire  to  acquire  glory  by 
adventures,  equipped  a  vessel  carrying  twen- 
ty-five men,  and,  taking  Biron  for  his  pilot, 
sailed  (1002)  in  search  of  the  new  country. 

His  course  was  southwest.  On  the  first 
land  which  he  saw  he  found  nothing  but  flat 
rocks  and  ice,  without  any  verdure.  He 
therefore  gave  it  the  name  of  Helleland,  which 
signifies  rocky.  Afterward  he  came  to  a  lev- 
el shore,  without  any  rocks,  but  overgrown 
with  woods,  and  the  sand  was  remarkably 
white.  This  he  named  Markland,  or  woody. 
Two  days  after  he  saw  land  again,  and  an 


80  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

island  lying  before  the  northern  coast  of  it. 
Here  he  first  landed ;  and  thence  sailing 
westward  round  a  point  of  land,  found  a 
creek  or  river,  into  which  the  ship  entered. 

On  the  banks  of  this  river  were  bushes 
bearing  sweet  berries ;  the  air  was  mild,  the 
soil  fertile,  and  the  river  well  stored  with  fish, 
among  which  were  very  fine  salmon.  At  the 
head  of  this  river  was  a  lake,  on  the  shore  of 
which  they  resolved  to  pass  the  winter,  and 
erected  huts  for  their  accommodation.  One 
of  their  company,  a  German  named  Tyr- 
ker,  having  straggled  into  the  woods,  found 
grapes,  from  which  he  told  them  that  in  his 
country  they  made  wine.  From  this  circum- 
stance Leif,  the  commander  of  the  party, 
called  the  place  Winland  dot  gode,  the  good 
wine  country. 

An  intercourse  being  thus  opened  between 
Greenland  and  Winland,  several  voyages 
were  made,  and  the  new  country  was  farther 
explored.  Many  islands  were  found  near  the 
coast,  but  not  a  human  creature  was  seen  till 
the  third  summer  (1004),  when  three  boats, 
constructed  with  ribs  of  bone,  fastened  with 
thongs  or  twigs,  and  covered  with  skins,  each 
boat  containing  three  men,  made  their  appear- 
ance. From  the  diminutive  size  of  these 


BIRON.  81 

people  the  Normans  denominated  them  Skrce- 
ling-s,*  and  inhumanly  killed  them  all  but 
one,  who  escaped,  and  collected  a  larger 
number  of  his  countrymen  to  make  an  attack 
on  their  invaders.  The  Normans  defended 
their  ships  with  so  much  spirit  that  the  as- 
sailants were  obliged  to  retire. 

After  this,  a  colony  of  Normans  went  and 
settled  at  Winland,  carrying  on  a  barter  trade 
with  the  SkraBlings  for  furs  ;  but  a  controver- 
sy arose  in  the  colony,  which  induced  some 
to  return  to  Greenland.  The  others  dispersed 
and  mixed  with  the  Skraslings. 

In  the  next  century  (1121)  Eric,  bishop  of 
Greenland,  went  to  Winland,  with  a  benevo- 
lent design  to  recover  and  convert  his  coun- 
trymen, who  had  degenerated  into  savages. 
This  prelate  never  returned  to  Greenland,  nor 
was  anything  more  heard  of  Winland  for  sev 
eral  centuries. 

This  account  of  the  discovery  of  Winland 
is  taken  from  Pontoppidan's  history  of  Nor- 
way, Crantz's  history  of  Greenland,  and  a 
late  history  of  northern  voyages  by  Dr.  John 
Reinhold  Forster.  The  facts  are  said  to 
have  been  collected  from  "  a  great  number 
of  Icelandic  manuscripts  by  Thormond  Thor- 

*  Cut  sticks,  chips — Dwarfs, 


82  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

foeus.  Adam  von  Bremen,  Arngrim  Jonas, 
and  many  other  writers,  so  that  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  entertain  the  least  doubt  concern- 
ing the  authenticity  of  the  relation." 

Pontoppidan  says  that  "  they  could  see  the 
sun  full  six  hours  in  the  shortest  day  ;"  but 
Crantz  tells  us  that  "  the  sun  rose  on  the 
shortest  day  at  eight  of  the  clock,"  and  For- 
ster  that  "  the  sun  was  eight  hours  above  the 
horizon,"  from  which  he  concludes  that  Win- 
land  must  be  found  in  the  49th  degree  of 
northern  latitude ;  and,  from  its  being  in  a 
southwesterly  direction  from  Greenland,  he 
supposes  that  it  is  either  a  part  of  Newfound-, 
land,  or  some  place  on  the  northern  coast 
of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  ;  but  whether 
grapes  are  found  in  either  of  those  countries 
he  cannot  say.  However,  he  seems  so  fully 
persuaded  of  the  facts,  that  he  gives  it  as 
his  opinion  that  the  Normans  were,  strictly 
speaking,  the  first  discoverers  of  America, 
nearly  five  centuries  before  Columbus. 

From  a  careful  perusal  of  the  first  accounts 
of  Newfoundland,  preserved  by  those  painful 
collectors  Hakluyt  and  Purchas,  and  of  other 
memoirs  respecting  that  island  and  the  coast 
of  Labrador,  and  from  inspecting  the  most 
approved  maps  of  those  regions,  particularly 


BIRON.  83 

one  in  the  American  Atlas,  delineated  agree- 
ably to  the  actual  surveys  of  the  late  celebra- 
ted navigator  Captain  James  Cook,  the  fol- 
lowing observations  occur. 

On  the  N.E.  part  of  Newfoundland,  which 
is  most  directly  accessible  from  Greenland, 
there  is  a  long  range  of  coast,  in  which  are 
two  bays,  the  one  called  Gander  Bay,  and  the 
other  the  Bay  of  Exploits.  Before  the  mouth 
of  the  former,  among  many  smaller,  there 
lies  one  large  island  called  Fogo ;  and  before 
the  mouth  of  the  latter,  another  called  The 
New  World.  Either  of  these  will  sufficient- 
ly answer  to  the  situation  described  in  the  ac- 
count of  Biron's  second  voyage.  Into  each 
of  these  bays  runs  a  river,  which  has  its  head 
in  a  lake,  and  both  these  lakes  lie  in  the  49th 
degree  of  north  latitude. 

The  earliest  accounts  of  Newfoundland  af- 
ter its  discovery  and  the  establishment  of  a 
fishery  on  its  coasts,  have  respect  chiefly  to 
the  lands  about  Trinity  and  Conception  Bays, 
between  the  parallels  of  48°  and  49°.*  These 
lands  are  represented  as  producing  strawber- 
ries, whortleberries,  raspberries,  gooseberries, 
pears,  wild  cherries,  and  hazel-nuts,  in  very 
great  plenty.  The  rivers  are  said  to  have 

been   well  stored  with  salmon  and    trout. 
I.— G 


84  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

The  natives,  who  inhabited  a  bay  lying  to  the 
northward  of  Trinity,  and  came  occasionally 
thither  in  their  canoes,  are  described  as  broad- 
breasted  and  upright,  with  black  eyes,  and 
without  beards  ;  the  hair  on  their  heads  was 
of  different  colours  ;  some  had  black,  some 
brown^  and  others  yellow.  In  this  variety 
they  differed  from  the  other  savages  of  North 
America,  who  have  uniformly  black  hair,  un- 
less it  be  grown  gray  with  age. 

The  climate  is  represented  as  more  mild  in 
the  winter  than  that  of  England ;  but  much 
colder  in  the  spring,  by  reason  of  the  vast 
islands  of  ice  which  are  driven  into  the  bays 
or  grounded  on  the  banks. 

On  the  northeastern  coast  of  Labrador,  be- 
tween the  latitudes  of  53°  and  56°,  are  many 
excellent  harbours  and  islands.  The  seas 
are  full  of  cod,  the  rivers  abound  with  sal- 
mon, and  the  climate  is  said  to  be  more  mild 
than  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

Nothing  is  said  in  any  of  these  accounts  of 
vines  or*  grapes,  excepting  that  some  which 
were  brought  from  England  had  thriven 
well.  If  any  evidence  can  be  drawn  from  a 
comparison  between  the  countries  of  New- 
foundland and  New-England,  it  may  be  ob- 
served, that  all  the  above-mentioned  fruits 


B  I  R  O  N.  85 

and  berries  are  found  in  the  northern  and 
eastern  parts  of  New-England  as  far  as  Nova 
Scotia,  in  the  latitudes  of  44°  and  45°,  and 
that  grapes  (vitis  vulpina,  vitis  labrusca)  are 
known  to  grow  wherever  these  fruits  are 
found. 

De  Monts,  in  his  voyage  to  Acadia  in  1608, 
speaks  of  grapes  in  several  places ;  and  they 
were  in  such  plenty  on  the  Isle  of  Orleans, 
in  lat.  47°,  that  it  was  first  called  the  Island 
of  Bacchus.*  Though  there  is  no  direct  and 
positive  testimony  of  grapes  in  the  Island  of 
Newfoundland,  it  is  by  no  means  to  be  con- 
cluded that  there  were  none.  Nor  is  it  im- 
probable that  grapes,  though  once  found 
there,  might  have  been  so  scarce  as  not  to 
merit  notice  in  such  general  descriptions  as 
were  given  by  the  first  English  adventurers. 

The  distance  between  Greenland  and  New- 
foundland is  not  greater  than  between  Ice- 
land and  Norway,  and  there  could  be  no 
more  difficulty  in  navigating  the  western  than 
the  eastern  parts  of  the  northwestern  ocean 
with  such  vessels  as  were  then  in  use,  and  by 
such  seamen  as  the  Normans  are  said  to  have 

*  It  is  also  said  that  Mr.  Ellis  met  with  the  vine  about  the 
English  settlements  at  Hudson's  Bay,  and  compares  the  fruit 

of  it  to  the  currants  of  the  Levant. — Morse's  Un.  Geo.,  vol.  i., 
p.  64. 


86  AMERICAN   BIOGRAPHY. 

been,  though  they  knew  nothing  of  the  mag 
netic  needle. 

Upon  the  whole,  though  we  can  come  to 
no  positive  conclusion  in  a  question  of  such 
remote  antiquity,  yet  there  are  many  circum- 
stances to  confirm,  and  none  to  disprove,  the 
relation  given  of  the  voyages  of  Biron.* 
But  if  it  be  allowed  that  he  is  entitled  to  the 
honour  of  having  discovered  America  before 
Columbus,  yet  this  discovery  cannot  in  the 
least  detract  from  the  merit  of  that  celebrated 
navigator.  For  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  Columbus  had  any  knowledge  of  the 
Norman  discoveries,  which  long  before  his 
time  were  forgotten,  and  would,  perhaps,  nev- 
er have  been  recollected,  if  he  had  not,  by 
the  astonishing  exertions  of  his  genius  and 
his  persevering  industry,  effected  a  discovery 
of  this  continent  in  a  climate  more  friendly 
to  the  views  of  commercial  adventurers. 

Even  Greenland  itself,  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, was  known  to  the  Danes  and  Normans 
only  by  the  name  of  lost  Greenland,  and  they 
did  not  recover  their  knowledge  of  it  till  af- 

*  At  my  request,  Governor  WENTWORTH,  of  Nova  Scotia, 
has  employed  a  proper  person  to  make  inquiry  into  any  vestiges 
of  this  ancient  colony  which  may  yet  be  subsisting.  I  am  sorry 
that  the  result  could  not  be  had  before  the  publication  of  this 
volume,  but  when  it  comes  to  hand  it  shall  be  tommunicatcd. 


BIRON.  87 

ter  the  English  had  ascertained  its  existence 
by  their  voyages  to  discover  a  N.W.  passage 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  the  Dutch  had 
coasted  it  in  pursuit  of  whales. 


[The  recent  publications  of  the  Society  of 
Northern  Antiquaries  at  Copenhagen  have 
thrown  new  light  upon  the  adventures  and 
discoveries  of  Biron  and  those  who  followed 
him.  It  has  been  thought  advisable,  instead 
of  illustrating  the  text  by  notes,  to  give  entire 
the  life  of  Biron  by  Belknap,  which  deserves 
to  be  perpetuated  for  its  ingenious  statements 
and  conjectures,  and  to  add  the  abstract  of 
information  and  evidence  on  the  subject 
which  is  contained  in  the  "  Antiquitates  Ameri- 
cana?," and  which  will  give  a  complete  and 
connected  view  of  all  the  knowledge  we  have 
relating  to  it. — H.] 

AN  ABSTRACT  OF  THE  HISTORICAL  EVIDENCE  CON- 
TAINED IN  THE   "  ANTIQUITATES  AMERICANS," 

BY  C.  C.  RAFN,  SECRETARY  OF  THE  ROYAL 
SOCIETY  OF  NORTHERN  ANTIQUARIES. 

BIARNE  HERIULFSON'S  VOYAGE  IN  THE  YEAR  986. 
ERIC  THE  RED,  in  the  spring  of  986,  emi- 
grated from  Iceland  to  Greenland,  formed  a 
settlement  there,  and  fixed  his  residence  at 


88  AMERICANBIOGRAPHY. 

Brattalid  in  Ericsfiord.  Among  others  who 
accompanied  him  was  Heriulf  Bardson,  who 
established  himself  at  Heriulfsnes.  BIARNE, 
the  son  of  the  latter,  was  at  that  time  absent 
on  a  trading  voyage  to  Norway ;  but  in  the 
course  of  the  summer  returning  to  Eyrar,  in 
Iceland,  and  finding  that  his  father  had  taken 
his  departure,  this  bold  navigator  resolved 
"•still  to  spend  the  following  winter,  like  all 
the  preceding  ones,  with  his  father,"  although 
neither  he  nor  any  of  his  people  had  ever 
navigated  the  Greenland  Sea.  They  set  sail, 
but  met  with  northerly  winds  and  fogs,  and, 
after  many  days'  sailing,  knew  not  whither 
they  had  been  carried.  At  length,  when  the 
weather  again  cleared  up,  they  saw  a  land 
which  was  without  mountains,  overgrown  with 
wood,  and  having  many  gentle  elevations. 
As  this  land  did  not  correspond  to  the  de- 
scriptions of  Greenland,  they  left  it  on  the 
larboard  hand,  and  continued  sailing  two 
days,  when  they  saw  another  land  which  was 
flat  and  overgrown  with  wood.  From  thence 
they  stood  out  to  sea,  and  sailed  three  days 
with  a  S.W.  wind,  when  they  saw  a  third 
land  which  was  high  and  mountainous,  and 
covered  with  icebergs  (glaciers] ;  they  did 
not  go  on  shore,  as  Biarne  did  not  find  the 


B  I R  0  N.  89 

country  to  be  inviting.  Bearing  away  from 
this  island,  they  stood  out  to  sea  with  the  same 
wind,  and  after  four  days'  sailing  with  fresh 
gales,  they  reached  Heriulfsnes,  in  Greenland. 

DISCOVERIES   OP    LEIP   ERICSON,  AND    FIRST    SET- 
TLEMENT OF    VINELAND. 

Some  time  after  this,  probably  in  the  year 
994,  Biarne  paid  a  visit  to  Eric,  earl  of  Nor- 
way, and  told  him  of  his  voyage,  and  of  the 
unknown  lands  he  had  discovered*  He  was 
blamed  by  many  for  not  having  examined 
these  countries  more  accurately.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Greenland  there  was  much  talk  about 
undertaking  a  voyage  of  discovery.  LEIF,  a 
son  of  Eric  the  Red,  bought  Biarne's  ship, 
and  equipped  it  with  a  crew  of  thirty-five 
men,  among  whom  was  a  German  of  the 
name  of  TYRKER,  who  had  long  resided  with 
his  father,  and  who  had  been  very  fond  of 
Leif  in  his  childhood.  In  the  year  1000 
they  commenced  the  projected  voyage,  and 
came  first  to  the  land  which  Biarne  had  seen 
last.  They  cast  anchor  and  went  on  shore. 
No  grass  was  seen  ;  but  everywhere  in  this 
country  were  vast  ice-mountains  (glaciers), 
and  the  intermediate  space  between  these 
and  the  shore  was,  as  it  were,  one  uniform 


90  AMERICAN   BIOGRAPHY. 

plain  of  slate  (hello)  :  the  country  appearing 
to  them  destitute  of  good  qualities,  they 
called  it  HELLU-LAND.  They  put  out  to 
sea,  and  came  to  another  land,  where  they 
also  went  on  shore.  The  country  was  level 
(slett)  and  covered  with  woods,  and  whereso- 
ever they  went  there  were  cliffs  of  white 
sand  (sand-ar-hvitir),  and  a  low  coast  (6-scB- 
bratt)  •  they  called  the  country  MAB.K- 
LAND  (  Woodland}.  From  thence  they  again 
stood  out  to  sea  with  a  N.E.  wind,  and  con- 
tinued sailing  for  two  days,  before  they  made 
land  again.  They  then  came  to  an  island 
which  lay  to  the  eastward  of  the  mainland, 
and  entered  a  channel  between  this  island 
and  a  promontory  projecting  in  an  easterly 
(and  northerly)  direction  from  the  mainland. 
They  sailed  westward  in  waters  where  there 
was  much  ground  left  dry  at  ebb-tide.  Af- 
terward they  went  on  shore  at  a  place  where 
a  river,  issuing  from  a  lake,  fell  into  the  sea. 
They  brought  their  ship  into  the  river,  and 
from  thence  into  the  lake,  where  they  cast 
anchor.  Here  they  constructed  some  tempo- 
rary log-huts  ;  but  afterward,  when  they  had 
made  up  their  mind  to  winter  there,  they  built 
large  houses,  afterward  called  LEIFS-BU- 
BIR  (Leifsbooths).  When  the  buildings  were 


BIRON.  91 

completed,  Leif  divided  his  people  into  two 
companies,  who  were  by  turns  employed  in 
keeping  watch  at  the  houses,  and  in  making 
small  excursions  for  the  purpose  of  exploring 
the  country  in  the  vicinity  :  his  instructions 
to  them  were,  that  they  should  not  go  to  a 
greater  distance  than  that  they  might  return 
in  the  course  of  the  same  evening,  and  that 
they  should  not  separate  from  one  another. 
Leif  took  his  turn  also,  joining  the  exploring 
party  the  one  day,  and  remaining  at  the  hous- 
es the  other.  It  so  happened  that  one  day 
the  German  Tyrker  was  missing.  Leif  ac- 
cordingly went  out  with  twelve  men  in  search 
of  him,  but  they  had  not  gone  far  from  their 
houses  when  they  met  him  coming  towards 
them.  When  Lief  inquired  why  he  had 
been  so  long  absent,  he  at  first  answered  in 
German,  but  they  did  not  understand  what 
he  said.  He  then  said  to  them  in  the  Norse 
tongue,  "  I  did  not  go  much  farther,  yet  I 
have  a  discovery  to  acquaint  you  with  :  I 
have  found  vines  and  grapes."  He  added, 
by  way  of  confirmation,  that  he  had  been 
born  in  a  country  where  there  was  plenty  of 
vines.  They  had  now  two  occupations,  viz., 
to  hew  timber  for  loading  the  ship,  and  col- 
lect grapes ;  with  these  last  they  filled  the 
I.—H 


92  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ship's  long  boat.  Leif  gave  a  name  to  the 
country,  and  called  it  VINLAND  (  Vineland). 
In  the  spring  they  sailed  again  from  thence, 
and  returned  to  Greenland. 

THORWALD    ERICSON?S    EXPEDITION    TO    MORE 
SOUTHERN    REGIONS. 

Leif's  Vineland  voyage  was  now  a  subject 
of  frequent  conversation  in  Greenland,  and 
his  brother  THORWALD  was  of  opinion  that  the 
country  had  not  been  sufficiently  explored. 
He  accordingly  borrowed  Leif  s  ship,  and, 
aided  by  his  brother's  counsel  and  directions, 
commenced  a  voyage  in  the  year  1002.  He 
arrived  at  Leifsbooths,  in  Vineland,  where 
they  spent  the  winter,  he  and  his  crew  em- 
ploying themselves  in  fishing.  In  the  spring 
of  1003  Thorwald  sent  a  party  in  the  ship's 
long  boat  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  south- 
ward. They  found  the  country  beautiful  and 
well  wooded,  with  but  little  space  between 
the  woods  and  the  sea ;  there  were  likewise 
extensive  ranges  of  white  sand,  and  many 
islands  and  shallows.  They  found  no  traces 
of  men  having  been  there  before  them,  ex- 
cepting  on  an  island  lying  to  the  westward, 
where  they  found  a  wooden  shed.  They  did 
not  return  to  Leifsbooths  until  the  fall.  In 


BIRON.  93 

the  following  summer,  1004,  Thorwald  sailed 
eastward  with  the  large  ship,  and  then  north- 
ward past  a  remarkable  headland  enclosing  a 
bay,  and  which  was  opposite  to  another  head- 
land. They  called  it  KIAL-AR-NES  (Keel 
Cape).  From  thence  they  sailed  along  to  the 
eastern  coast  of  the  land,  into  the  nearest 
friths,  to  a  promontory  which  there  projected, 
and  which  was  everywhere  overgrown  with 
wood.  There  Thorwald  went  ashore  with  all 
his  companions.  He  was  so  pleased  with  this 
place  that  he  exclaimed,  "  This  is  beautiful ! 
and  here  I  should  like  well  to  fix  my  dwell- 
ing !"  Afterward,  when  they  were  preparing 
to  go  on  board,  they  observed  on  the  sandy 
beach  within  the  promontory  three  hillocks, 
and  repairing  thither,  they  found  three  canoes, 
under  each  of  which  were  three  Skrellings 
(Esquimaux)  ;  they  came  to  blows  with  the 
latter,  and  killed  eight,  but  the  ninth  escaped 
with  his  canoe.  Afterward  a  countless  num- 
ber issued  forth  against  them  from  the  inte- 
rior of  the  bay.  They  endeavoured  to  protect 
themselves  by  raising  battle-screens  on  the 
ship's  side.  The  Skrellings  continued  shoot- 
ing at  them  for  a  while,  and  then  retired. 
Thorwald  was  wounded  by  an  arrow  under 
the  arm,  and,  finding  that  the  wound  was 


94  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

mortal,  he  said,  "  I  now  advise  you  to  pre- 
pare for  your  departure  as  soon  as  possible, 
but  me  ye  shall  bring  to  the  promontory 
where  I  thought  it  good  to  dwell ;  it  may  be 
that  it  was  a  prophetic  word  that  fell  from 
my  mouth  about  my  abiding  there  for  a  sea- 
son ;  there  shall  ye  bury  me,  and  plant  a 
cross  at  my  head  and  another  at  my  feet,  and 
call  the  place  KROSS-A-NES  (Crossness)  in 
all  time  coming."  He  died,  and  they  did  as 
he  had  ordered.  Afterward  they  returned  to 
their  companions  at  Leifsbooths,  and  spent 
the  winter  there ;  but  in  the  spring  of  1005 
they  sailed  again  to  Greenland,  having  im- 
portant intelligence  to  communicate  to  Leif. 

UNSUCCESSFUL  ATTEMPT  OF   THORSTEIN  ERICSON, 

Thorstein,  Eric's  third  son,  had  resolved 
to  proceed  to  Vineland  to  fetch  his  brother's 
body.  He  fitted  out  the  same  ship,  and  select- 
ed twenty-five  strong  and  able-bodied  men  for 
his  crew :  his  wife  Gudrida  also  went  along 
with  him.  They  were  tossed  about  the  ocean 
the  whole  summer,  and  knew  not  whither 
they  were  driven  ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  first 
week  of  winter  they  landed  at  Lysufiord,  in 
the  western  settlement  of  Greenland.  There 
Thorstein  died  during  the  winter;  and  in 


BIRON.  95 

the  spring  Gudrida  returned  again  to  Erics- 
fiord. 

SETTLEMENT    EFFECTED    IN    VINELAND    BY  THOR- 
FINN. 

In  the  following  summer,  1006,  there  ar- 
rived in  Greenland  two  ships  from  Iceland ; 
the  one  was  commanded  by  THORFINN,  hav- 
ing the  very  significant  surname  of  KARLSEFNE 
(i.  e.,  one  who  promises  or  is  destined  to  be 
an  able  or  great  man),  a  wealthy  and  power- 
ful man,  of  illustrious  lineage,  and  sprung 
from  Danish,  Norwegian,  Swedish,  Irish,  and 
Scottish  ancestors,  some  of  whom  were  kings 
or  of  royal  descent.  He  was  accompanied 
by  SNORRE  THORBRANDSON,  who  was  also  a 
man  of  distinguished  lineage.  The  other 
ship  was  commanded  by  BIARNE  GRIMOLFSON, 
of  Breidefiord,  and  THORHALL  GAMLASON,  of 
Austfiord.  They  kept  the  festival  of  Yule,  or 
Christmas,  at  Brattalid.  Thorfinn  became  en- 
amoured of  Gudrida,  and  obtained  the  con- 
sent of  her  brother-in-laAv,  Leif;  and  their 
marriage  was  celebrated  in  the  course  of  the 
winter.  On  this,  as  on  former  occasions,  the 
voyage  to  Vineland  formed  a  favourite  theme 
of  conversation,  and  Thorfinn  was  urged  both 
by  his  wife  and  others  to  undertake  such  a 


96  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

voyage.  It  was  accordingly  resolved  on. 
In  the  'spring  of  1007  Karlsefne  and  Snorre 
fitted  out  their  ship,  and  Biarne  and  Thorhall 
likewise  equipped  theirs.  A  third  ship  (being 
that  in  which  Gudrida's  father,  Thorbibrn, 
had  formerly  come  to  Greenland)  was  com- 
manded by  THORWARD,  who  was  married  to 
FREYDISA,  a  natural  daughter  of  ERIC  the 
Red  ;  and  on  board  the  ship  was  also  a  man 
of  the  name  of  THORHALL,  who  had  long  serv- 
ed Eric  as  huntsman  in  summer  and  as 
house-steward  in  winter,  and  who  had  much 
acquaintance  with  the  uncolonized  parts  of 
Greenland.  The  whole  expedition  consisted 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men ;  and  they 
took  with  them  all  kinds  of  live-stock,  it  be- 
ing their  intention  to  establish  a  colony,  if 
possible.  They  sailed  first  to  the  Wester- 
by  gd,  and  afterward  to  Biarney  (Disco). 
From  thence  thBy  sailed  in  a  southerly  di- 
rection to  HELLU-LAND,  where  they  found 
many  foxes ;  and  again  two  days  in  a  south- 
erly direction  to  MARK-LAND,  a  country 
overgrown  with  wood,  and  plentifully  stock- 
ed with  animals.  Leaving  this,  they  contin- 
ued in  a  S.W.  direction  for  a  long  time, 
having  the  land  to  starboard,  until  they  at 
length  came  to  KIAL-AR-NES,  where  there 


B  I  R  O  N.  97 

were  trackless  deserts  and  long  beaches  and 
sands,  called  by  them  FURDU-STRAND- 
IR.  Passing  these,  they  found  the  land  in- 
dented by  inlets.  They  had  two  Scots  with 
them,  TAKE  and  TEKIA,  whom  Leif  had  for- 
merly received  from  the  Norwegian  king, 
Olaf  Tryggvason,  and  who  were  very  swift  of 
foot.  They  put  them  on  shore,  recommend- 
ing them  to  proceed  in  a  S.W.  direction,  and 
explore  the  country.  After  the  lapse  of  three 
days  they  returned,  bringing  with  them  some 
grapes  and  some  ears  of  wheat,  which  grew 
wild  in  that  region.  They  continued  their 
course  until  they  came  to  a  place  where  a 
frith  penetrated  far  into  the  country.  Off  the 
mouth  of  it  was  an  island,  past  which  there 
ran  strong  currents,  which  was  also  the  case 
farther  up  the  frith.  On  the  island  there  were 
an  immense  number  of  eider-ducks,  so  that  it 
was  scarcely  possible  to  walk  without  tread- 
ing on  their  eggs.  They  called  the  island 
STRAUM-EY  (Stream  Isle),  and  the  frith 
SRRAUM-FIORDR  (Stream  Frith).  They 
landed  on  the  shore  of  this  frith,  and  made 
preparations  for  their  winter  residence.  The 
country  was  extremely  beautiful.  They  con- 
fined their  operations  to  exploring  the  country. 
Thorhall  afterward  wished  to  proceed  in  a  N. 


98  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

direction  in  quest  of  Vineiand,  Karlsefn© 
chose  rather  to  go  to  the  S.W.  Thorhall, 
and  eight  men  with  him,  quitted  them,  and 
sailed  past  Furoustrander  and  Kialarnes ;  but 
they  were  driven  by  westerly  gales  to  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  where,  according  to  the  ac- 
counts of  some  traders,  they  were  beaten  and 
made  slaves.  Karlsefne,  together  with  Snorre 
and  Biarne,  and  the  rest  of  the  ships'  compa- 
nies, in  all  131  (CXXXI)  men,  sailed  south- 
ward, and  arrived  at  the  place  where  a  river 
falls  into  the  sea  from  a  lake.  Opposite  to- 
the  mouth  of  the  river  were  large  islands. 
They  steered  into  the  lake,  and  called  the 
place  HOP  (I  Hope).  On  the  low  grounds 
they  found  fields  of  wheat  growing  wild,  and 
on  the  rising  ground  vines.  While  looking 
about  one  morning,  they  observed  a  great 
number  of  canoes.  As  they  exhibited  friend- 
ly signals,  the  canoes  approached  nearer  to 
them,  and  the  natives  looked  with  astonish- 
ment at  those  they  met  there.  These  people 
were  sallow  and  ill-looking :  had  ugly  heads 
of  hair,  and  broad  cheeks.  After  they  had 
gazed  at  them  for  a  while,  they  rowed  away 
again  to  the  S.W.  past  the  cape.  Karlsefne 
and  his  company  had  erected  their  dwelling 
houses  a  little  above  the  bay,  and  there  they 


B  I R  O  N.  ,99 

spent  the  winter.  No  snow  fell,  and  the  cat- 
tle found  their  food  in  the  open  field.  One 
morning  early,  in  the  beginning  of  1008,  they 
descried  a  number  of  canoes  coming  from  the 
S.W.  past  the  cape.  Karlsefne  having  held 
up  a  white  shield  as  a  friendly  signal,  they 
drew  nigh,  and  immediately  commenced  bar- 
tering. These  people  chose  in  preference 
red  cloth,  and  gave  furs  and  squirrel  skins 
in  exchange.  They  would  fain  also  have 
bought  swords  and  spears,  but  these  Karl- 
sefne and  Snorre  prohibited  their  people  from 
selling.  In  exchange  for  a  skin  entirely 
gray,  the  Skrellings  took  a  piece  of  cloth 
of  a  span  in  breadth,  and  bound  it  round 
their  heads.  Their  barter  was  carried  on  in 
this  way  for  some  time.  The  Northmen 
found  that  their  cloth  was  beginning  to  grow 
scarce,  whereupon  they  cut  it  up  in  smaller 
pieces,  not  broader  than  a  finger's  breadth  ; 
yet  the  Skrellings  gave  as  much  for  these 
smaller  pieces  as  they  had  formerly  given  for 
the  larger  ones,  or  even  more.  Karlsefne 
also  caused  the  women  to  make  and  pour  out 
milk  soup,  and  the  Skrellings  relishing  the 
taste  of  it,  they  desired  to  buy  it  in  prefer- 
ence to  everything  else ;  so  they  wound  up 
their  traffic  by  carrying  away  their  bargains 


100  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

in  their  stomachs.  While  this  trade  was  go- 
ing on,  it  happened  that  a  bull  which  Karl- 
sefne  had  brought  along  with  him  came  out 
of  the  wood  and  bellowed  loudly.  At  this 
the  Skrellings  became  terrified,  rushed  to 
their  canoes,  and  rowed  away  southward. 
About  this  time  Gudrida,  Karlsefne's  wife, 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  received  the  name 
of  SNORRE.  In  the  beginning  of  the  follow- 
ing winter  the  Skrellings  came  again  in  much 
greater  numbers  ;  they  showed  symptoms  of 
hostility,  setting  up  loud  yells.  Karlsefne 
caused  the  red  shield  to  be  borne  against 
them,  whereupon  they  advanced  against  each 
other,  and  a  battle  commenced.  There  was 
a  galling  discharge  of  missiles.  The  Skrel- 
lings had  a  sort  of  war-slings  ;  they  elevated 
on  a  pole  a  tremendously  large  ball,  almost 
the  size  of  a  sheep's  stomach,  and  of  a  bluish 
colour ;  this  they  swung  from  the  pole  upon 
land  over  Karlsefne's  people,  and  it  descend- 
ed with  a  fearful  crash.  This  struck  terror 
into  the  Northmen,  and  they  fled  along  the 
river.  Freydisa  came  out,  and,  seeing  them 
flying,  she  exclaimed,  "  How  can  stout  men 
like  you  fly  from  these  miserable  caitiffs,  whom 
I  thought  you  could  knock  down  like  cattle  ! 
If  I  had  only  a  weapon,  I  ween  I  could  fight 


BIRON.  101 

better  than  any  of  you !"  They  heeded  not 
her  words.  She  tried  to  keep  pace  with 
them,  but  the  advanced  rity.t.e  of  hei  pregnan- 
cy retarded  her  •  -she,  however,  followed  them 
into  the  wood.'  "SSere  she  tfiteoianTtered  a 
dead  body :  it  was  THORBRAND  SNORRASON  ; 
a  flat  stone  was  sticking  fast  in  his  head,  and 
his  naked  sword  lay  by  his  side  ;  this  she 
took  up,  and  prepared  to  defend  herself.  She 
uncovered  her  bosom,  and  struck  it  with  the 
naked  sword.  At  this  sight  the  Skrellings 
became  terrified,  and  ran  off  to  their  canoes. 
Karlsefne  and  the  rest  now  came  up  to  her, 
and  praised  her  courage.  They  were  now 
become  aware  that,  thpugh  the  country  held 
out  many  advantages,  still  the  life  that  they 
would  have  to  lead  here  would  be  one  of  con- 
stant alarm,  from  the  hostile  attacks  of  the 
natives.  They  therefore  made  preparations 
for  departure,  with  the  resolution  of  returning 
to  their  own  country.  Sailing  eastward,  they 
arrived  in  Streamfirth.  Karlsefne  then  took 
one  of  the  ships,  and  sailed  in  quest  of  Thor- 
hall,  while  the  rest  remained  behind.  They 
proceeded  northward  round  Kialarnes,  and 
after  that  were  carried  to  the  northwest. 
The  land  lay  to  the  larboard  of  them ;  there 
were  thick  forests  in  all  directions,  as  far  as 


102  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

they  could  see,  with  scarcely  any  open  space. 
They  considered  the  hills  at  Hope  and  those 
which 'tljey. now 'savfr^s  jfotming  part  of  one 
continued  range.  They  spe.nt  the  third  win- 
ter at\St«€feaqfirt3i;|  :K-Ar^efne's  son,  Snorre, 
was  now  three  years  of  age.  When  they 
sailed  from  Vineland  they  had  southerly 
wind,  and  came  to  Markland,  where  they 
met  with  five  Skrellings.  They  caught  two 
of  them  (two  boys),  whom  they  carried  away 
with  them,  and  taught  them  the  Norse  lan- 
guage, and  baptized  them.  These  children 
said  that  their  mother  was  called  VETHILLDI, 
and  their  father  UVJEGE  ;  they  said  that  the 
Skrellings  were  ruled  by  chieftains  (kings j, 
one  of  whom  was  called  AVALLDAMON,  and 
the  other  VALDIDIDA  ;  that  there  were  no 
houses  in  the  country,  but  that  the  people 
dwelt  in  holes  and  caverns.  Biarne  Grim- 
olfson  was  driven  into  the  Irish  Ocean,  and 
came  into  waters  that  were  so  infested  with 
worms  that  the  ship  was  in  consequence  re- 
duced to  a  sinking  state.  Some  of  the  crew, 
however,  were  saved  in  the  boat,  as  it  had 
been  smeared  with  seal-oil  tar,  which  is  a 
preventive  against  the  attack  of  worms.  Karl- 
sefne  continued  his  voyage  to  Greenland,  and 
arrived  at  Ericsfiord. 


B  I  R  O  N.  103 


fOYAGE     OF    FREYDISA,    HELGE     AND    FINNBOGE  : 
THORFINN  SETTLES  IN  ICELAND. 

During  the  same  summer,  1011,  there  ar- 
rived in  Greenland  a  ship  from  Norway, 
commanded  by  two  brothers  from  Austfiord 
in  Iceland,  HELGE  and  FINNBOGE,  who  passed 
the  following  winter  in  Greenland.  FREYDI- 
SA went  to  them,  and  proposed  a  voyage  to 
Vineland,  on  the  condition  that  they  should 
share  equally  with  her  in  all  the  profits  which 
the  voyage  might  yield :  to  this  they  assent- 
ed. Freydisa  and  these  brothers  entered 
into  a  mutual  agreement  that  each  party 
should  have  thirty  able-bodied  men  on  board 
their  ship  besides  women  ;  but  Freydisa  im- 
mediately deviated  from  the  agreement,  and 
took  with  her  five  additional  men,  whom  she 
concealed.  In  1012  they  arrived  at  Leifs- 
booths,  where  they  spent  the  following  win- 
ter. The  conduct  of  Freydisa  occasioned  a 
coolness  and  distance  between  the  parties  ; 
and  by  her  subtle  arts  she  ultimately  prevail- 
ed on  her  husband  to  massacre  the  brothers 
and  their  followers.  After  the  perpetration 
of  this  base  deed,  they,  in  the  spring  of  1013, 
returned  to  Greenland,  where  Thorfmn  lay 
ready  to  sail  for  Norway,  and  was  waiting  for 


104  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

a  fair  wind  :  the  ship  he  commanded  was  so 
richly  laden,  that  it  was  generally  admitted 
that  a  more  valuable  cargo  had  never  left 
Greenland.  As  soon  as  the  wind  became 
favourable  he  sailed  to  Norway,  where  he 
spent  the  following  winter  and  sold  his  goods. 
Next  year,  when  he  was  ready  to  sail  for 
Iceland,  there  came  a  German  from  Bremen 
who  wanted  to  buy  a  piece  of  wood  from 
him  :  he  gave  for  it  half  a  marc  of  gold  :  it 
was  the  wood  of  the  Mazer-tree,  from  Vine- 
land.  Karlsefne  went  to  Iceland,  and  in  the 
following  year,  1015,  he  bought  the  Glaumboe 
estate,  in  Skagefiord,  in  the  northland  quar 
ter,  where  he  resided  during  the  remaindei 
of  his  life  :  his  son  Snorre,  who  had  been 
born  in  America,  was  his  successor  on  this 
estate.  When  the  latter  married,  his  mother 
made  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  and  afterward 
returned  to  her  son's  house  at  Glaumboe, 
where  he  had  in  the  mean  time  ordered  a 
church  to  be  built.  The  mother  lived  long 
as  a  religious  recluse.  A  numerous  and  illus- 
trious race  descended  from  Karlsefne,  among 
whom  may  be  mentioned  the  learned  bishop 
Thorlak  Runolfson,  born  in  1085,  of  Snorre's 
daughter  Halfrida,  to  whom  we  are  princi- 
pally indebted  for  the  oldest  ecclesiastical 


B  I  R  0  N.  105 

Code  of  Iceland,  published  in  the  year  1123; 
it  is  also  probable  that  the  accounts  of  the 
voyages  here  mentioned  were  originally  com- 
piled by  him. 

A    SURVEY    OF    THE    PRECEDINE    EVIDENCE. 

I.   Geography  and  Hydrography. 
It  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  these 
ancient   accounts   have    preserved    not  only 
geographical,  but  also  nautical  and  astronom- 
ical facts,  that  may  serve  in  fixing  the  posi- 
tion of  the  lands  and  places  named.     The 
nautical  facts  are  of  special  importance,  al- 
though hitherto  they  have  not  been  sufficient- 
ly attended  to ;   these  consist  in  statements 
of  the  course  steered  and  the  distance  sailed 
in  a  day.     From  data  in  the  Landnama  and 
several  other  ancient  Icelandic  geographical 
works,  we  may  gather  that  the  distance  of 
a  day's  sailing  was  estimated  at  27  to  30 
geographical  miles  (German  or   Danish,  of 
which  fifteen  are  equal  to  a  degree ;  each  of 
these  being,  accordingly,  equal  to  four  Eng- 
lish sea-miles).     From  the  Island  of  HEL- 
LU-LAND,  afterward  called  little  Helluland, 
Biarne    sailed    to    Heriulfsnes    (Iki-geit)    in 
Greenland,  with  strong  southwesterly  gales, 
in  four  days.     The   distance    between   thai 


106  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

cape  and  Newfoundland  is  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  which  will  correspond  when 
we  take  into  consideration  the  strong  gales. 
In  modern  descriptions  it  is  stated  that  this 
land  partly  consists  of  naked  rocky  flats, 
where  no  tree,  nor  even  a  shrub,  can  grow, 
and  which  are  therefore  usually  called  Bar- 
rens ;  thus  answering  completely  to  the  hell- 
ur  of  the  ancient  Northmen,  from  which  they 
named  the  country. 

MARKLAND  was  situate  to  the  south- 
west of  Helluland,  distant  about  three  days' 
sail,  or  from  eighty  to  ninety  miles.  Here 
then  we  have  Nova  Scotia,  of  which  the  de- 
scriptions given  by  later  writers  answer  to 
that  given  by  the  ancient  Northmen  of  Mark- 
land  :  "  the  land  is  low  in  general ;"  "  the 
coast  to  the  seaward  being  level  and  low, 
and  the  shores  marked  with  white  rocks  ;" 
"  the  land  is  low,  with  white  sandy  cliffs, 
particularly  visible  at  sea,"  says  the  new 
"  North  American  Pilot,"  by  J.  W.  Nori.j 
and  another  American  sailor  :  "on  the  shore 
are  some  cliffs  of  exceedingly  white  sand." 
Here  "  level"  corresponds  completely  to  the 
Icelandic  "  stilt"  "  low  to  the  seaward"  to 
the  short  expression  "  6-sce-bratt"  and  "white 
sandy  cliffs"  to  the  "  hvit-ir  sand-ar"  of  the 


B  I  R  O  N.  107 

Northmen.  Nova  Scotia,  New-Brunswick, 
and  Lower  Canada,  situate  more  inland, 
which  probably  may  be  considered  as  all  be- 
longing to  the  Markland  of  the  Northmen, 
are  almost  everywhere  covered  with  immense 
forests. 

VINLAND  was  situate  at  the  distance  of 
two  days'  sail,  consequently  from  fifty-four 
to  sixty  miles,  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
from  Markland.  The  distance  from  Cape 
Sable  to  Cape  Cod  is  stated  in  nautical  works 
as  being  W.  by  S.  about  seventy  leagues, 
that  is,  about  two  hundred  miles.  Biarne's 
description  of  the  coast  is  very  accurate,  and 
in  the  island  situate  to  the  eastward  (between 
which  and  the  promontory  that  stretches  to 
eastward  and  northward  Leif  sailed)  we  rec- 
ognise Nantucket.  The  ancient  Northmen 
found  there  many  shallows  (grunn-s&fui  mik- 
it)  ;  modern  navigators  make  mention  at  the 
same  place  "  of  numerous  reefs  and  other 
shoals,"  and  say  "  that  the  whole  presents 
an  aspect  of  drowned  land." 

KIALARNES  (from  kiolr,  a  keel,  and  nes, 
a  cape,  most  likely  on  account  of  its  striking 
resemblance  to  the  keel  of  a  ship,  particular- 
ly of  one  of  the  long  ships  of  the  ancient 

Northmen)  must  consequently  be  Cape  Cod, 
I— I 


108  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

the  NAUSET  of  the  Indians,  which  modern 
geographers  have  sometimes  likened  to  a 
horn,  and  sometimes  to  a  sickle  or  scythe. 
The  ancient  Northmen  found  here  trackless 
deserts  (or-cefi),  and  long  narrow  beaches 
and  sandhills,  or  sands  (strand-ir  l(mg-ar  ok 
sand-ar)  of  a  very  peculiar  appearance,  on 
which  account  they  called  them  FURDU- 
STRAND-IR  (  Wonder-strands,  from  furt-a, 
res  miranda,  and  strond,  strand,  beach.) 
Compare  the  description  given  of  this  cape 
by  a  modern  author,  Hitchcock :  "  The 
Dunes  or  sandhills,  which  are  often  nearly 
or  quite  barren  of  vegetation,  and  of  snowy 
whiteness,  forcibly  attract  the  attention  on  ac- 
count of  their  peculiarity.  As  we  approach 
the  extremity  of  the  cape,  the  sand  and  bar- 
renness increase ;  and  in  not  a  few  places  it 
would  need  only  a  party  of  Bedouin  Arabs  to 
cross  the  traveller's  path  to  make  him  feel 
that  he  was  in  the  depths  of  an  Arabian  or 
Libyan  desert"  A  remarkable  natural  phe- 
nomenon which  is  observed  there  has  also 
most  probably  had  a  share  in  giving  rise  to 
that  peculiar  name.  It  is  thus  described  by 
the  same  author :  "  In  crossing  the  sands  of 
the  cape,  I  noticed  a  singular  mirage  or  de- 
ception. In  Orleans,  for  instance,  we  seem- 


B I  R  O  N.  109 

ed  to  be  ascending  at  an  angle  of  throe  or 
four  degrees ;  nor  was  I  convinced  that  yuch 
was  not  the  case,  until,  turning  about,  I  per- 
ceived that  a  similar  ascent  appeared  in  the 
road  just  passed  over.  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  explain  this  optical  deception,  but  merely 
remark  that  it  is  probably  of  the  same  kind 
as  that  observed  by  Humboldt  on  the  Pam- 
pas of  Venezuela  :  "all  around  us,"  says  he, 
11  the  plains  seemed  to  ascend  towards  the 
sky."  Thus  we  observe  that  the  appellation 
given  by  the  ancient  Northmen  to  the  three 
strands  or  tracts  of  coast,  Nauset  Beach,  Chat- 
ham Beach,  and  Monomoy  Beach,  is  remark- 
ably appropriate. 

The  great  Gulf  Stream,  as  it  is  called, 
which  issues  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and 
runs  between  Florida,  Cuba,  and  the  Baha- 
ma Isles,  and  so  northward  in  a  direction 
parallel  to  the  eastern  coast  of  North  Amer- 
ica, and  of  which  the  channel,  in  ancient 
times,  is  said  to  have  approached  still  nearer 
to  the  coast,  occasions  great  currents  precise- 
ly at  this  place,  inasmuch  as  the  peninsula  of 
Barnstable  offers  opposition  to  the  stream  as  it 
comes  from  the  southward.  The  STRAUM- 
FIORDR  of  the  ancient  Northmen  is  sup- 
posed to  be  Buzzard's  Bay,  and  STRAUM- 


110  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

EY,  Martha's  Vineyard;  although  the  ac- 
counts of  the  many  eggs  found  there  would 
seem  more  precisely  to  correspond  to  the  isl- 
and which  lies  off  the  entrance  of  Vineyard 
Sound,  and  which  to  this  day  is  called  Egg- 
Island. 

KROSS-A-NES  is  probably  Gurnet  Point, 
It  must  have  been  somewhat  to  the  northward 
of  this  that  Karlsefne  landed  when  he  saw 
the  mountain  range  (the  Blue  Hills},  which 
he  considered  as  forming  a  part  of  the  same 
range  that  extends  to  the  region  where  We 
recognise  the  place  named  Hop  (z  H6p-e). 

The  word  HOP,  in  Icelandic,  may  either 
denote  a  small  recess  or  bay  formed  by  a 
river  from  the  interior  falling  into  an  inlet 
from  the  sea,  or  the  land  bordering  on  such  a 
bay.  To  this  Mount  Hope's  Bay,  or  MONT 
HAUP'S  Bay,  as  the  Indians  term  it,  corre- 
sponds, through  which  the  Taunton  River 
flows,  and,  by  means  of  the  very  narrow,  yet 
navigable  Pocasset  River,  meets  the  approach- 
ing water  of  the  ocean  at  its  exit  at  Seacon- 
net.  It  was  at  this  H6pe  that  Leifsbooths 
were  situate;  it  was  above  it,  and  therefore 
most  probably  on  the  beautiful  elevation  call- 
ed afterward  by  the  Indians  MONT  HAUP, 
that  Thorfinn  Karlsefne  erected  his  dwelling- 
houses. 


BIRON.  Ill 


II.  Climate  and  Soil. 

Concerning  the  climate  of  the  country  and 
the  quality  of  the  soil,  and  also  concerning 
some  of  its  productions,  the  ancient  writings 
contain  sundry  illustrative  remarks.  The 
climate  was  so  mild  that  it  appeared  the 
cattle  did  not  require  winter  fodder ;  for 
there  came  no  snow,  and  the  grass  was  but 
slightly  withered.  Warden  uses  similar  ex- 
pressions respecting  this  region  :  "  La  tem- 
perature est  si  douce  que  la  vegetation  souffre 
rarement  du  froid  ou  de  la  stcheresse.  On 
1'appelle  le  paradis  de  VAmtrique  parcequ'elle 
lremporte  sur  les  autres  lieux  par  sa  situation, 
son  sol  et  son  climat."  "An  excursion  from 
Taunton  to  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  down 
Taunton  River  and  Mount  Hope  Bay,  con- 
ducts the  traveller  among  scenery  of  great 
beauty  and  loveliness,"  says  Hitchcock;  and 
when  he  adds  "that  the  beautiful  appearance 
of  the  country,  and  the  interesting  historical 
associations  connected  with  that  region,  con- 
spire to  keep  the  attention  alive  and  to  grat- 
ify the  taste,"  he  will  find  that  this  last  re- 
mark is  applicable  to  times  much  more  re- 
mote than  he  thought  of  when  he  gave  ex- 
pression to  the  above  sentiment. 


112  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

A  country  of  such  a  nature  might  well  de- 
serve the  appellation  of  "  THE  GOOD,"  which 
was  the  epithet  the  ancient  Northmen  be- 
stowed on  it,  especially  as  it  yielded  pro- 
ductions whereon  they  set  a  high  value,  and 
of  which  their  colder  native  land  was  for  the 
most  part  destitute. 

III.  Produce  and  Natural  History. 

Vines  grew  there  spontaneously ;  a  circum- 
stance which  Adam  of  Bremen,  a  foreign 
writer  of  the  same  (that  is,  of  the  eleventh) 
century,  mentions  that  he  had  learned,  not 
from  conjecture,  but  from  authentic  accounts 
furnished  by  Danes.  As  his  authority  on  this 
occasion,  he  cites  the  Danish  king  Sveyn 
Estrithson,  a  nephew  of  Canute  the  Great. 
It  is  well  known  that  vines  still  grow  in  that 
region  in  great  abundance. 

Spontaneously  growing  wheat  (sj&lf  sdn-ir 
hveiti-akrar.}  At  the  subsequent  arrival  of 
the  Europeans,  maize,  or  Indian  corn,  as  it 
is  called,  was  found  growing  here  ;  this  the 
natives  reaped  without  having  sowed,  and 
they  preserved  it  in  holes  in  the  earth,  as  it 
constituted  one  of  their  most  valuable  arti- 
cles of  food.  Honeydew  was  found  on  the 
island  which  lies  off  it,  as  is  also  still  the  case. 


BIRON.  113 

Mazer  (mausur,}  a  species  of  wood  of  re- 
markable beauty,  probably  a  species  of  the 
Acer  rubrum  or  Acer  saccharinum,  which 
grows  here,  and  which  is  called  "  bird's  eye" 
or  "  curled  maple."  Wood  for  building  was 
also  obtained  here. 

A  great  number  of  forest  animals  of  all 
kinds.  It  is  understood  that  the  Indians 
chose  this  region-  in  preference  for  their 
abode,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  excellent 
hunting. 

At  present  the  forests  are  for  the  most 
part  cut  down,  and  the  animals  have  with- 
drawn to  the  interior  and  woodland  regions. 
From  the  natives  the  Northmen  bought  squir- 
rel-skins and  all  kinds  of  peltries,  which  are 
still  to  be  found  in  abundance  in  this  district. 

Eider-ducks  and  other  birds  were  found  in 
great  numbers  on  the  adjacent  islands,  as  is 
also  at  present  the  case,  on  which  account 
some  of  them  have  the  name  of  Egg  Islands. 

Every  river  was  full  of  fish,  among  which 
are  mentioned  excellent  salmon.  On  the 
coast  was  also  caught  a  great  quantity  of 
fish.  The  Northmen  dug  ditches  along  the 
shore,  within  the  high  water-mark,  and  when 
the  tide  receded  they  found  halibuts  in  the 
ditches.  On  the  coast  they  also  caught  ivhales, 


114  AMERICAN    BIOGEAPHY. 

and  among  these  the  refer  (Balsena  physa- 
lus).  In  the  modern  descriptions  of  this  re- 
gion it  is  stated  that  "  all  the  rivers  are  full 
of  fish  ;"  and  of  the  waters  in  that  neighbour- 
hood it  is  said  "  il  y  a  une  grande  abondance 
de  poissons  de  presque  toutes  les  especes." 
Salmon  may  be  mentioned  as  one  of  these. 
Not  long  ago,  the  whale  fishery  was,  in  that 
very  region,  an  important  branch  of  industry, 
especially  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  adjacent 
islands.  Very  possibly  the  adjacent  Whale 
Rock  has  its  name  from  the  same  circum- 
stances. 

IV.  Astronomical  Evidence. 
Besides  the  nautical  and  geographical 
statements,  one  of  the  most  ancient  writings 
has  preserved  an  astronomical  notice,  where 
it  was  said  that  here  the  days  were  of  more 
equal  length  than  in  Iceland  or  Greenland  ; 
that  on  the  shortest  day  the  sun  rose  at  half 
past  seven  o'clock,  and  set  at  half  past  four, 
which  makes  the  shortest  day  nine  hours. 
This  astronomical  observation  gives  for  the 
place  latitude  41°  24'  10".  The  latitude  of 
Seaconnet  Point,  and  of  the  southernmost 
promontory  of  the  Island  of  Conannicut,  is 
41°  26'  north,  and  that  of  Point  Judith 


BIRON.  115 

23-.  These  three  headlands  form  the  en- 
trance boundaries  of  the  modern  Mount  Hope 
Bay,  which  the  ancients,  according  to  the 
analogy  of  their  language,  no  doubt,  called 
HOPSVATN.  We  thus  see  that  this  statement 
corresponds  exactly  with  the  other  data,  and 
indicates  precisely  the  same  region. 

DISCOVERIES    OF    MORE    SOUTHERN    REGIONS. 

The  party  sent  by  Thorvvald  Ericson,  in 
the  year  1003,  from  Leifsbooths,  to  explore 
the  southern  coasts,  employed  from  four  to 
five  months  in  the  expedition ;  they  there- 
fore most  likely  examined  the  coasts  of  Con- 
necticut and  New- York,  probably  also  those 
of  New- Jersey,  Delaware,  and  Maryland. 
The  description  of  this  range  of  coast  is  ac- 
curate 

ARE  MARSON'S  SOJOURN  IN  GREAT  IRELAND. 
In  those  times  the  Esquimaux  inhabited 
more  southerly  regions  than  they  do  at  pres- 
ent. This  is  both  evident  from  the  ancient 
accounts,  and  seems,  besides,  to  gain  corrobo- 
ration  from  ancient  skeletons  which  have 
been  dug  up  in  regions  even  more  southerly 
than  those  in  question ;  a  circumstance  which, 
however,  merits  a  more  accurate  examina- 


116  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

tion.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Vineland, 
opposite  the  country  inhabited  by  the  Esqui- 
maux, there  dwelled,  according  to  their  re- 
ports, people  who  wore  white  dresses,  and 
had  poles  borne  before  them,  on  which  were 
fastened  lappets,  and  who  shouted  with  a  loud 
voice.  This  country  was  supposed  to  be 
HVITRA-MANN-A-LAND,  as  it  was  call- 
ed  (the  Land  of  the  White  Men},  otherwise 
called  IR-LAND  IT  MIKLA  (Great  Ire- 
land), being  probably  that  part  of  the  coast 
of  North  America  which  extends  southward 
from  Chesapeake  Bay,  including  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Florida.  Among 
the  Shawanese  Indians,  who  some  years  ago 
emigrated  from  Florida,  and  are  now  settled 
in  Ohio,  there  is  preserved  a  tradition  which 
seems  of  importance  here,  viz.,  that  Florida 
was  once  inhabited  by  white  people,  who 
were  in  possession  of  iron  implements.  Judg- 
ing from  the  ancient  accounts,  this  must  have 
been  an  Irish  Christian  people,  who,  previous 
to  the  year  1000,  were  settled  in  this  region. 
The  powerful  chieftain  ARE  MARSON,  of  Rei- 
kianes,  in  Iceland,  was,  in  the  year  903,  driv- 
en thither  by  storms,  and  there  received  bap- 
tism. The  first  author  of  this  account  was 
his  contemporary  Rafa,  surnamed  the  Lim- 


BIRON.  117 

erick-trader,  he  having  long  resided  at  Lim- 
erick, in  Ireland.  The  illustrious  Icelandic 
•sage  Are  Frode,  the  first  compiler  of  the 
Landnama,  who  was  himself  a  descendant  in 
the  fourth  degree  from  Are  Marson,  states  on 
this  subject,  that  his  uncle,  Thorkell  Geller- 
Bon  (whose  testimony  he  on  another  occasion 
declares  to  be  worthy  of  all  credit),  had  been 
informed  by  Icelanders,  who  had  their  infor- 
mation from  Thorfinn  Sigurdson,  earl  of 
Orkney,  that  Are  had  been  recognised  in 
Hvitramannaland,  and  could  not  get  away 
from  thence,  but  was  there  held  in  high  re- 
spect. This  statement  therefore  shows  that 
in  those  times  there  was  an  occasional  inter- 
course between  the  western  European  coun- 
tries (the  Orkneys  and  Ireland)  and  this  part 
of  America. 

VOYAGES    OF    BIERN    ASBRANDSON    AND     GUDLEIF 
GUDLAUGSON. 

It  must  have  been  in  this  same  country  that 
BIERN  AS-BRANDSON,  surnamed  BREID-VIK- 
INGA-KAPPI,  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life. 
He  had  been  adopted  into  the  celebrated 
band  of  Jomsburg  warriors,  under  Palnatoke, 
and  took  part  with  them  in  the  battle  of  Fyr- 
isval,  in  Sweden.  His  illicit  amatory  con- 


118  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

nexion  with  Thurida  of  Frodo,  in  Iceland,  a 
sister  of  the  powerful  Snorre  Gode,  drew 
upon  him  the  enmity  and  persecution  of  the 
latter ;  in  consequence  of  which,  he  found 
himself  obliged  to  quit  the  country  forever, 
and  in  the  year  999  he  set  sail  from  Hraun- 
hofn,  in  Sniofelsnes,  with  a  N.E.  wind.  GUD- 
LEIF  GUDLAUQSON,  brother  of  Thorfinn,  the 
ancestor  of  the  celebrated  historian  Snorre 
Sturluson,  had  made  a  trading  voyage  to 
Dublin ;  but  when  he  left  that  place  again, 
with  the  intention  of  sailing  round  Ireland 
and  returning  to  Iceland,  he  met  with  long- 
continued  northeasterly  winds,  which  drove 
him  far  out  of  his  course  to  the  southwest, 
and  late  in  the  season  he,  along  with  his  com- 
pany, at  last  made  land;  the  country  was 
very  extensive,  but  they  knew  not  what  coun- 
try it  was.  On  their  landing,  a  crowd  of  the 
natives,  amounting  to  several  hundreds  in 
number,  came  against  them,  overpowered, 
and  bound  them.  They  did  not  know  any- 
body in  the  crowd,  but  it  seemed  to  them 
that  their  language  resembled  Irish.  The 
natives  now  took  counsel  whether  they  should 
kill  the  strangers  or  make  slaves  of  them. 
While  they  were  deliberating,  a  large  compa- 
ny approached,  displaying  a  banner,  close  to 


BIRON.  119 

which  rode  a  man  of  distinguished  appear- 
ance, who  was  far  advanced  in  years,  and 
had  gray  hair.  The  matter  under  delibera- 
tion was  referred  to  his  decision.  He  was 
the  aforesaid  Biorn  Asbrandson.  He  caused 
Gudleif  to  be  brought  before  him,  and,  ad- 
dressing him  in  the  Norse  language,  he  asked 
him  whence  he  came.  As  he  replied  that  he 
was  an  Icelander,  Biorn  made  many  inquiries 
about  his  acquaintance  in  Iceland,  particular- 
ly about  his  beloved  Thurida  of  Frodo,  and 
about  her  son,  and  who  at  that  time  was  the 
proprietor  of  the  estate  of  Frodo.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  natives  becoming  impatient 
and  demanding  a  decision,  Biorn  selected 
twelve  of  his  company  as  counsellors  ;  he 
took  them  aside,  and  some  time  after  he 
went  towards  Gudleif  and  his  companions, 
and  told  them  that  the  natives  had  left  the 
matter  to  his  decision.  "He  thereupon  gave 
them  their  liberty,  and  advised  thern^  although 
the  summer  was  already  far  advanced,  to  de- 
part immediately,  because  the  natives  we{g 
not  to  be  depended  on,  and  were  difficult  to 
deal  with  ;  and,  moreover,  conceived  that  an 
infringement  on  their  laws  had  been  commit- 
ted to  their  disadvantage.  He  gave  them  a 
gold  ring  for  Thurida,  and  a  sword  for  Kiar- 


120  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

tan,  and  told  them  to  charge  his  friends  and 
relations  not  to  come  over  to  him,  as  he  was 
now  become  old,  and  might  daily  expect  that 
old  age  would  get  the  better  of  him ;  that  the 
country  was  large,  having  but  few  harbours, 
and  that  strangers  must  everywhere  expect  a 
hostile  reception.  They  accordingly  set  sail 
again,  and  found  their  way  back  to  Dublin, 
where  they  spent  the  winter ;  but  next  sum- 
mer they  repaired  to  Iceland  and  delivered 
the  presents  ;  and  all  were  convinced  that  it 
was  really  Biorn  Asbrandson  whom  they  had 
met  with  in  that  country. 

BISHOP    ERIC'S    VOYAGE    TO    VINELAND. 

It  may  be  considered  as  certain  that  the 
intercourse  between  Vinelattd  and  Greenland 
was  maintained  for  a  considerable  period  af- 
ter this,  although  the  scanty  notices  about 
Greenland  contained  in  the  ancient  manu- 
scripts do  not  furnish  us  with  any  satisfactory 
information  on  this  head.  It  is,  however,  re- 
corded, that  the  Greenland  bishop  ERIC,  im 
pelled  probably  by  a  Christian  zeal  either  of 
converting  the  colonists,  or  of  animating  them 
to  perseverance  in  the  faith,  went  over  to 
Vineland  in  the  year  1121.  As  we  have  no 
information  of  the  result  of  his  voyage,  but 


BIRON.  121 

can  merely  gather  from  the  above  expression 
that  he  reached  his  destination,  we  must  pre- 
sume that  he  fixed  his  permanent  residence 
in  Vineland.  His  voyage,  however,  goes  to 
corroborate  the  supposition  of  a  lengthened 
intercourse  having  been  kept  up  between  the 
countries. 

DISCOVERIES    IN    THE   ARCTIC    REGIONS    OP 
AMERICA. 

The  next  event  in  chronological  order,  of 
which  accounts  have  been  preserved  in  an- 
cient records,  is  a  voyage  of  discovery  in  the 
Arctic  regions  of  America,  performed  during 
the  year  1266,  under  the  auspices  of  some 
clergymen  of  the  bishopric  of  Gar&ar,  in 
Greenland.  The  account  of  it  is  taken  from 
a  letter,  addressed  by  a  clergyman  of  the  name 
of  Halldor  to  another  clergyman  named  Ar- 
nold, formerly  established  in  Greenland,  but 
who  had  then  become  chaplain  to  the  Norwe- 
gian king,  Magnus  Lagabaeter.  At  that  time 
all  men  of  any  consequence  in  Greenland 
possessed  large  vessels,  built  for  the  purpose 
of  being  despatched  northward  in  hunting  and 
fishing  expeditions.  The  northern  regions 
which  they  visited  were  called  Nor&r-set-ur  ; 
the  chief  stations  were  Greipai;  and  Kr6ks- 


122  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

fiar«5-ar-heibi.  The  first  of  these  stations  is 
supposed  to  have  been  situate  immediately  to 
the  southward  of  Disco  ;  but  that  the  ancient 
Northmen  went  much  farther  north  on  this 
coast  may  be  inferred  from  a  very  remarkable 
runic  stone^  found  in  the  year  1824,  on  the  isl- 
and of  Kin-gik-tor-s6ak,  lying  in  the  latitude  of 
72°  55'  N.  The  latter-mentioned  station  was 
to  the  north  of  the  former.  The  object  of  the 
voyage  is  stated  to  have  been  to  explore  re- 
gions lying  more  to  the  northward  than  those 
they  had  hitherto  been  accustomed  to  visit, 
consequently  lying  farther  north  than  KROKS- 
FIARD-AR-HEIDI,  where  they  had  their 
summer  quarters  (set-ur),  and  which  they 
were  therefore  regularly  accustomed  to  visit. 
The  following  particulars  are  mentioned  rela- 
ting to  this  voyage  of  discovery.  They  sail- 
ed out  of  Kroks-fiarb-ar-heibi,  and  after  that 
encountered  southerly  winds,  accompanied 
by  thick  weather,  which  obliged  them  to  let 
the  ship  go  before  the  wind.  On  the  weather 
clearing  up  they  saw  many  islands,  and  all 
kinds  of  prey,  both  seals  and  whales,  and  a 
great  many  bears.  They  penetrated  into  the 
innermost  part  of  the  gulf,  and  had  icebergs 
(glaciers)  lying  also  to  the  southward  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach.  They  observed  some 


BIRO*,  123 

vestiges  indicating  that  the  Skrellings  had  in 
former  times  inhabited  these  regions,  but  they 
could  not  land  on  account  of  the  bears.  They 
then  put  about  and  sailed  back  during  three 
days  ;  and  now  again  they  found  traces  of 
the  Skrellings  having  been  on  some  islands 
lying  to  the  southward  of  a  mountain,  by  them 
called  Sniofell.  After  this  (on  St.  James's 
day)  they  proceeded  southward  a  great  day's 
rowing.  It  froze  during  the  night  in  those 
regions,  but  the  sun  was  above  the  horizon 
both  night  and  day;  and  when  on  the  merid- 
ian in  the  south,  he  was  not  higher  than  that 
when  a  man  lay  down  across  a  six-oared 
boat,  stretched  out  towards  the  gunwale,  the 
shadow  formed  by  the  side  of  the  boat  near- 
est the  sun  reached  his  face  ;  but  at  midnight 
the  sun  was  as  high  as  when  it  was  (highest) 
in  the  northwest  in  the  Greenland  colony. 
Afterward  they  sailed  back  again  to  their 
home  at  Garbar.  Kroks-fiarb-ar-heibi,  as  we 
have  observed  above,  had  been  for  some  time 
previous  regularly  visited  by  the  Greenland- 
ers.  The  name  shows  that  the  frith  was  sur- 
rounded by  barren  highlands  (heik-i),  and  the 
description  of  the  voyage  shows  that  it  was  a 
frith  of  considerable  extent,  in  and  through 
which  there  was  room  for  several  days'  sail. 
I.— K 


124  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

It  is  stated,  for  instance,  that  they  sailed  out 
o/this  frith  or  sound  into  another  sea,  and 
into  the  innermost  part  of  a  gulf,  and  that 
their  returning  voyage  occupied  several  days. 
As  to  the  two  observations  mentioned  as  hav- 
ing been  taken  on  St.  James's  day,  the  first 
of  them  leads  to  no  certain  result,  as  we  have 
no  sure  means  of  ascertaining  the  depth  of 
the  boat,  or,  rather,  the  relative  depth  of  the 
man's  position  as  he  lay  across  the  boat,  in 
reference  to  the  height  of  the  side  of  the 
same,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  deduce  the  angle 
formed  by  the  upper  edge  of  the  boat's  side 
and  the  man's  face,  which  is  the  angle  meas- 
uring the  sun's  altitude  at  noon  on  St.  James's 
day,  or  the  25th  of  July.  If  we  assume,  as 
we  may  do  with  probability,  that  it  was  some- 
what less  than  33°,  and  yet  very  near  that 
measure,  the  place  must  have  been  situate 
near  north  latitude  75°.  There  seems  no 
probability  that  it  was  a  larger  angle,  and, 
consequently,  that  the  place  lay  more  to  the 
southward.  The  result  obtained  from  the 
other  observation  is,  however,  more  satisfacto- 
ry. In  the  thirteenth  century,  on  the  25th  of 
July,  the  sun's  declination  was  +  17°  54'; 
f  inclination  of  the  ecliptic,  23°  32'.  If  we 
now  assume  that  the  colony,  and  particularly 


B  I  R  O  N.  125 

the  episcopa.  seat  of  Gar&ar,  was  situate  on 
the  north  side  of  Igaliko  Frith,  where  the  ru- 
ins of  a  large  church  and  of  many  other 
buildings  indicate  the  site  of  a  principal  set- 
tlement of  the  ancient  colony,  consequently 
in  60°  55'  north  latitude,  then,  at  the  summer 
solstice,  the  height  of  the  sun  there,  when  in 
the  northwest,  was  =  3°  40',  equivalent  to  the 
midnight  altitude  of  the  sun  on  St.  James's 
day  in  the  parallel  of  75°  46',  which  falls  a  lit- 
tle to  the  north  of  Barrow's  Strait,  being  in 
the  latitude  of  Wellington's'  Channel,  or  close 
to  the  northward  of  the  same.  The  voyage 
of  discovery  undertaken  by  the  Greenland 
clergyman  was  therefore  carried  to  regions 
which  in  our  days  have  been  more  accu- 
rately explored,  and  their  geographical  posi- 
tion determined  by  Sir  William  Parry,  Sir 
John  Ross,  and  Captain  James  Clark  Ross, 
and  other  British  navigators,  in  the  no  less  da- 
ring and  dangerous  expeditions  conducted  by 
them. 

NEWFOUNDLAND    REDISCOVERED    FROM    ICELAND. 

The  discovery  next  recorded  was  made  by 
the  Iceland  clergymen  ADALBRAND  and  THOR- 
WALD  HELGASON,  well  known  in  the  history% 
of  Iceland   as  having  been  involved  in  the 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

disputes  at  that  time  prevailing  between  the 
Norwegian  king,  Eric  Priesthater,  and  the 
clergy,  and  which  in  Iceland  were  chiefly 
headed  by  the  governor,  Rafa  Oddson,  and 
Arne  Thorlakson,  bishop  of  Skalholt.  Ac- 
counts drawn  up  by  contemporaries  contain 
merely  the  brief  notice,  that  in  the  year  1285 
the  above-mentioned  clergymen  discovered  a 
new  land  to  the  westward  of  Iceland  (fundu 
nyja  land).  This  land,  to  which,  by  com- 
mand of  King  Eric  Priesthater,  a  voyage  was 
some  years  afterward  'projected  by  Landa- 
Rolf,  is  supposed  to  have  been  Newfoundland. 

A  VOYAGE  TO  MARKLAND  IN  THE  YEAR  1347. 

The  last  piece  of  information  respecting 
America  which  our  ancient  manuscripts  have 
preserved,  refers  to  a  voyage  in  the  year  1347 
from  Greenland  to  MARK- LAND,  perform- 
ed in  a  vessel  having  a  crew  of  seventeen 
men,  being  probably  undertaken  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bringing  home  building-timber  and 
other  supplies  from  that  country.  On  the 
voyage  homeward  from  Markland,  the  ship 
was  driven  out  of  her  course  by  storms,  and 
arrived  with  loss  of  anchors  at  Straumfiord, 
in  the  west  of  Iceland.  From  the  accounts, 
scanty  as  they  are,  of  this  voyage,  written  by 


B I R  O  N.  127 

a  contemporary  nine  years  after  the  event,  it 
would  appear  that  the  intercourse  between 
Greenland  and  America  proper  had  been 
kept  up  to  so  late  a  date  as  the  year  above 
mentioned ;  for  it  is  expressly  said  that  the 
ship  went  to  Markland,  which  is  thus  named 
as  a  country  that  in  those  days  was  still 
known  and  visited. 

****** 
After  having  perused  the  authentic  docu- 
ments themselves,  which  are  now  accessible 
to  all,  every  one  will  acknowledge  the  truth 
of  the  historical  fact,  that  during  the  tenth 
and  eleventh  centuries,  the  ancient  Northmen 
discovered  and  visited  a  great  extent  of  the 
eastern  coasts  of  North  America ;  and  will, 
besides,  be  led  to  the  conviction  that,  during 
the  centuries  immediately  following,  the  in- 
tercourse never  was  entirely  discontinued. 
The  main  fact  is  certain  and  indisputable. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  are  in  these,  as  in 
all  other  ancient  writings,  certain  portions  of 
the  narrative  which  are  obscure,  and  which 
subsequent  disquisitions  and  new  interpreta- 
tions may  serve  to  clear  up.  On  this  account 
it  seems  of  importance  that  the  original  sour- 
ces of  information  should  be  published  in  the 
incient  language,  so  that  every  one  may  have 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

it  in  his  power  to  consult  them,  and  to  form 
his  own  judgment  as  to  the  accuracy  of  the 
interpretations  given. 

With  regard  to  such  traces  of  the  resi- 
dence and  settlement  of  the  ancient  North- 
men as,  it  is  presumed,  are  still  to  be  me1 
with  in  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  (the 
countries  which  formed  the  destination  of 
their  earliest  American  expeditions),  we  shall 
content  ourselves  for  the  present  with  refer 
ring  to  the  hints  which  are  contained  in  the 
"  ANTIQUITATES  AMERICANS."  This  mattei 
will  continue  to  form  a  subject  for  the  accu- 
rate investigation  of  the  COMMITTEE  of  the 
Hoyal  Society  of  Northern  Antiquaries  01* 
THE  ANTE-COLUMBIAN  HISTORY  OF  AMERICA  ; 
and  the  result  of  this  investigation,  togethei 
with  such  additional  elucidations  of  the  an- 
cient  manuscripts  as  we  may  have  it  in  oui 
power  to  furnish,  shall  be  communicated  ir 
the  ANNALS  and  MEMOIRS  of  the  Society.] 


MADOC.  129 


II.  MADOC. 

THIS  person  is  supposed  to  have  discovered 
America,  and  brought  a  colony  of  his  coun- 
trymen hither,  before  the  discovery  made  by 
Columbus.  The  story  of  his  emigration  from 
Wales  is  thus  related  by  Hakluyt,  whose  book 
was  first  published  in  1589,  and  a  second 
edition  of  it  in  1600.* 

"The  voyage  of  Madoc,  the  son  of  Owen 
Guyneth,  prince  of  North  Wales,  to  the  West 
Indies  in  the  year  1170,  taken  out  of  the  His- 
tory of  Wales  lately  published  by  M.  David 
Powel,  Doctor  of  Divinitie." 

"  After  the  death  of  Owen  Guyneth,  his 
sons  fell  at  debate  who  should  inherit  after 
him.  For  the  eldest  son  born  in  matrimony, 
Edward  or  lorwerth  Drwydion,  was  coiinted 
unmeet  to  govern,  because  of  the  maime  upon 
his  face ;  and  Howel,  that  took  upon  him  all 
the  rule,  was  a  base  son  begotten  of  an  Irish 
woman.  Therefore  David  gathered  all  the 
power  he  could  and  came  against  Howel,  and, 
fighting  with  him,  slew  him,  and  afterward  en- 

*  [Vol.  iii.,  p.  1,  ed.  1600.— H.] 


130  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

joyed  quietly  the  whole  land  of  North  Wales, 
until  his  brother  lorwerth's  son  came  to  age. 

"  MADOC,  another  of  Owen  Guyneth  his 
sons,  left  the  land  in  contention  between  his 
brethren,  and  prepared  certain  ships'with  men 
and  munition,  and  sought  adventures  by  sea, 
sailing  west,  and  leaving  the  coast  of  Ireland 
so  far  north  that  he  came  to  a  land  unknown, 
where  he  saw  many  strange  things. 

"  This  land  must  needs  be  some  part  of 
that  country  of  which  the  Spaniards  affirm 
themselves  to  be  the  first  finders  since  Han- 
no's  time.  [*For  by  reason  and  order  of 
cosmographie,  this  land  to  the  which  Madoc 
came  must  needs  be  some  part  of  Nova  His- 
pania  or  Florida.]  Whereupon  it  is  manifest 
that  that  country  was  by  Britains  discovered 
long  before  [either]  Columbus  [or  Americus 
Vesputius]  led  any  Spaniards  thither. 

"  Of  the  voyage  and  return  of  that  Ma- 
doc  'there  be  many  fables  feigned,  as  the 
common  people  do  use,  in  distance  of  place 
and  length  of  time,  rather  to  augment  than 
diminish,  but  sure  it  is  there  he  was.  And 
after  he  had  returned  home  and  declared  the 
pleasant  and  fruitful  countries  that  he  had 

*  The  words  included  in  crotchets  [  ]  are  omitted  in  the  sec- 
ond edition  of  Hakluyt's  Voyages. 


MA  DOC.  131 

seen  without  inhabitants  ;  and  upon  the  contra- 
ry part,  for  what  barren  and  wild  ground  his 
brethren  and  nephews  did  murther  one  an- 
other, he  prepared  a  number  of  ships,  and  got 
with  him  such  men  and  women  as  were  desi- 
rous to  live  in  quietness  ;  and,  taking  leave  of 
his  friends,  took  his  journey  thitherward  again. 

"  Therefore  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  he 
and  his  people  inhabited  part  of  those  coun- 
tries ;  for  it  appeareth  by  Francis  Lopez  de 
Gomara,  that  in  Acuzamil  and  other  places 
the  people  honoured  the  cross,  whereby  it 
may  be  gathered  that  Christians  had  been 
there  before  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards. 
But  because  this  people  were  not  many,  they 
followed  the  manners  of  the  land  they  came 
unto,  and  used  the  language  they  found  there. 

"  This  Madoc  arriving  in  that  western 
country,  unto  the  which  he  came  in  the  year 
1170,  left  most  of  his  people  there,  and,  re- 
turning back  for  more  of  his  own  nation,  ac- 
quaintance, and  friends  to  inhabit  that  fair  and 
large  country,  went  thither  again  with  ten 
sails,  as  I  find  noted  by  Gutyn  Owen.  I  am 
of  opinion  that  the  land  whereto  he  came  was 
some  part  of  [Mexico  ;*  the  causes  which 
'make  me  think  so  be  these  : 

*  In  the  second  edition  the  word  Mexico  is  changed  for  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  two  following  paragraphs  are  omitted. 


132  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

"  1.  The  common  report  of  the  inhabitants 
of  that  country,  which  affirm  that  their  rulers 
descended  from  a  strange  nation  that  came 
thither  from  a  far  country ;  which  thing  is 
confessed  by  Mutezuma,  king  of  that  coun- 
try, in  an  oration  made  for  quieting  of  his 
people,  at  his  submission  to  the  King  of  Cas- 
tile, Hernando  Cortez  being  then  present, 
which  is  laid  down  in  the  Spanish  chronicles 
of  the  conquest  of  the  West  Indies. 

"  2.  The  British  words  and  names  of  pla- 
ces used  in  that  country  even  to  this  day  do 
argue  the  same  ;  as,  when  they  talk  together, 
they  use  the  word  gwrando,  which  is  heark- 
en or  listen.  Also  th#y  have  a  certain  bird 
with  a  white  head,  which  they  call  penguin, 
that  is,  white  head.  But  the  island  of  Corro- 
eso,  the  river  of  Guyndor,  and  the  white  rock 
of  Peng-uyn,  which  be  all  British  or  Welsh 
words,  do  manifestly  show  that  it  was  that 
country  which  Madoc  and  his  people  inhab- 
ited.] 

"  Carmina  Meredith  filii  Rhesi  mentionem 
facientia  de  Madoco  filio  Owein  Guynedd  et 
de  sua  navag-atione  in  terras  incognitas.  Vix- 
it  hie  Meredith  circiter  annum  Domini  1477.* 

*  [i.  e.,  Songs  of  Meredith,  the  son  of  Rhesus  (ap.  Rees),  ma- 
king mention  of  Madoe,  Jhe  son  of  Owen  Guyned,  and  of  his 


M  A  D  O  C.  133 

"  Madoc  wyf,  mwyedic  wedd 
lawn  genau,  Ovvyn  Guyned 
Ni  fynnum  dir,  fy  enaid  oedd 
Na  da  mawr,  ond  y  moroedd. 

"  These  verses  I  received  of  my  learned 
friend,  Mr.  William  Camden. 

The  same  in  English. 

"  Madoc  I  am,  the  son  of  Owen  Guynedd, 
With  stature  large,  and  comely  grace  adorned. 
No  lauds  at  home,  nor  store  of  wealth  me  please, 
My  mind  was  whole  to  search  the  Ocean  seas." 

In  this  extract  from  Hakluyt  is  contained 
all  the  original  information  which  I  have  been 
able  to  find  respecting  the  supposed  discovery 
of  America  by  the  Welsh.  The  account  it- 
self is  confused  and  contradictory.  The  coun- 
try discovered  by  Madoc  is  said  to  be  "  with- 
out inhabitants  ;"  and  yet  the  people  whom 
he  carried  thither  "  followed  the  manners  of 
the  land,  and  used  the  language  they  found 
there."  Though  the  Welsh  emigrants  lost 
their  language,  yet  the  author  attempts  to 
prove  the  truth  of  his  story  by  the  preserva- 
tion of  several  Welsh  words  in  the  American 
tongues.*  Among  these  he  is  unfortunate  in 

sailing  to  unknown  lands.     This  Meredith  lived  about  the  year 
\f  our  Lord  1477.— H.] 

*  The  argument  does  not  seem  liable  to  much  objection  in  its 
nature.  For  in  the  blending  of  nations  and  of  languages,  each 


134  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

the  choice  of  "penguin,  a  bird  with  a  white 
head"  all  the  birds  of  that  name  on  the 
American  shores  having  black  or  dark  brown 
heads  ;  and  the  name  penguin  is  said  to  have 
been  originally  pinguedine,  from  their  excess- 
ive fatness.* 

Among  the  proofs  which  some  late  writers 
have  adduced  in  support  of  the  discovery  of 
America  by  Madoc  is  this,  that  a  language 
resembling  the  Welsh  was  spoken  by  a  tribe 
of  Indians  in  North  Carolina,  and  that  it  is 
still  used  by  a  nation  situate  on  some  of  the 
western  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  If  that 
part  of  the  account  preserved  by  Hakluyt  be 
true,  that  the  language  was  lost,  it  is  vain  to 
offer  an  argument  of  this  kind  in  support  of 
the  truth  of  this  story ;  but  a  question  may 
here  arise  :  How  could  any  report  of  the  loss 
of  their  language  have  been  transmitted  to 
Europe  at  so  early  a  period  ?t 

An  attempt  has  lately  been  made  to  ascer- 
tain the  truth  of  this  piece  of  history  by  Dr. 


will  probably  gain  and  lose  somewhat.  The  uncertainty  of  the 
facts  and  the  scantiness  of  the  examples  are  a  better  and  suf- 
ficient ground  of  doubt. — H.] 

*  See  the  new  Encyclopedia,  under  the  article  AMERICA. 
t  [Without  leaving  som    more  distinct  trace  of  the  position 
of  the  colony.] 


M  A  D  O  C.  135 

John  Williams.  I  have  not  seen  the  book  it- 
self, but  if  the  critical  reviewers  may  be  cred- 
ited,* no  new  facts  have  been  adduced.  It 
is  remarked  by  them,  that  "  if  Madoc  once 
reached  America,  it  is  difficult  to  explain  how 
he  could  return  home  ;  and  it  would  be  more 
improbable  that,  he  should  arrive  in  America 
a  second  time,  of  which  there  is  not  the  slight- 
est evidence."  They  also  observe,  that  "  if 
Madoc  sailed  westward  from  Wales,  the  cur- 
rents would  rather  have  carried  him  to  Nova 
Scotia  than  to  the  southward." 

The  mentioning  of  Nova  Scotia  reminds 
me  of  some  words  in  the  native  language  of 
that  country  which  begin  with  two  syllables 
resembling  the  name  of  Madoc. t  A  sachem 
of  the  Penobscot  tribe,  who  lived  in  the  end 
of  the  last  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  pres- 
ent century,  bore  the  name  of  Madokawando. 
A  village  on  Penobscot  River  was  called  Ma- 
dawankee.  One  branch  of  th«e  River  St.  John, 
which  runs  into  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  is  Medoc- 
tack,  and  another  is  Medocscenecasis.  The 
advocates  of  this  opinion  may  avail  them- 
selves as  far  as  they  can  of  this  coincidence, 
but  in  my  apprehension  it  is  too  precarious 
to  be  the  basis  of  any  just  conclusion. 

*  Critical  Review  for  1791,  p.  357. 

t  See  Gyles'a  Memoir?  ^f  his  Captivity  in  1689. 


136  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

After  all  that  has  been  or  can  be  said  on 
the  subject,  we  must  observe  with  the  critical 
reviewers,  that  "  if  Madoc  left  Wales  and  dis- 
covered any  other  country,  it  must  always  re- 
main uncertain  where  that  country  is."*  Dr. 
Robertson  thinks,  if  he  made  any  discovery  at 
all,  it  might  be  Madeira  or  one  of  the  Azores.! 

The  book  of  Hakluyt,  in  which  the  origi- 
nal story  is  preserved,  was  written  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  in  the  time  of 
her  controversy  with  Spain.  The  design  of 
his  bringing  forward  the  voyage  of  Madoc 
appears,  from  what  he  says  of  Columbus,  to 
have  been  the  asserting  of  a  discovery  prior 
to  his,  and,  consequently,  the  right  of  the 
crown  of  England  to  the  sovereignty  of 
America ;  a  point  at  that  time  warmly  con- 
tested between  the  two  nations.  The  remarks 
which  the  same  author  makes  on  several  oth- 
er voyages  evidently  tend  to  the  establish- 
ment of  that  claim.  But  if  the  story  of  Biron 
be  true,  which  (though  Hakluyt  has  said  no- 
thing of  it)  is  better  authenticated  than  this 
of  Madoc,  the  right  of  the  crown  of  Den- 

*  [There  are  no  data  from  which  it  can  be  ascertained  ;  no  in- 
timation of  latitude,  climate,  or  distance  ;  nothing  more  than 
that  from  Ireland  it  was  southwest. — H.] 
.  t  Hist.  Amer.,  vol.  i.,  p.  374  [note  17]. 


M  A  D  O  C.  137 

mark  is,  on  the  principle  of  prior  discovery, 
superior  to  either  of  them. 

Perhaps  the  whole  mystery  may  be  un- 
veiled if  we  advert  to  this  one  circumstance, 
the  time  when  Hakluyt's  book  was  first  pub- 
lished. National  prejudice  might  prevail, 
even  with  so  honest  a  writer,  to  convert  a 
Welsh  fable  into  a  political  argument  to  sup- 
port, against  a  powerful  rival,  the  claim  of 
his  sovereign  to  the  dominion  of  this  continent. 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


III.  ZENO. 

IT  is  well  known  that  the  Venetians  were 
reckoned  among  the  most  expert  and  adven- 
turous of  the  maritime  nations.  In  that  re- 
public, the  family  of  ZENO  or  ZENI  is  not  only 
very  ancient  and  of  high  rank,  but  celebra- 
ted for  illustrious  achievements.  Nicolo  Zeno, 
having  exhibited  great  valour  in  a  war  with 
the  Genoese,  conceived  an  ardent  desire, 
agreeably  to  the  genius  of  his  nation,  to  trav- 
el, that  he  might,  by  his  acquaintance  with 
foreign  nations  and  languages,  render  him- 
self more  illustrious  and  more  useful.  With 
this  view  he  equipped  a  vessel  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, and  sailed  through  the  Straits  of  Gib- 
raltar to  the  northward  [A.D.  1380],  with  an 
intention  to  visit  Britain  and  Flanders ;  but 
by  a  storm  which  lasted  many  days,  he  was 
cast  away  on  the  coast  of  Frisland.* 

The  prince  of  the  country  Zichmni  (or,  as 
Purchas  spells,  it  Zichmui)  finding  Zeno  an 

*  [The  narrative,  gathered  from  the  letters  of  the  brother* 
Zeni,  is  given  in  an  abridged  form  in  Purchas's  Pilgrims,  iii^ 
610;  and  more  fully  in  Hakluyt,  iii.,  121-128. — H.] 


Z  E  N  O.  139 

expert  seaman,  gave  him  the  command  of 
his  fleet,  consisting  of  thirteen  vessels,  of 
which  two  only  were  rowed  with  oars  ;  one 
was  a  ship,  and  the  rest  were  small  barks. 
With  this  fleet  he  made  conquests  and  dep- 
redations in  Ledovo,  and  Ilofo,  and  other 
small  islands,  several  barks  laden  with  fish 
being  a  past  of  his  capture. 

Nicolo  wrote  to  his  brother  Antonio  Zeno 
at  Venice,  inviting  him  to  Frisland,  whither 
he  went,  and.  being  taken  into  the  service  of 
Zichmni,  continued  with  him  fourteen  years. 
The  fleet  sailed  on  an  expedition  to  Estland, 
where  they  committed  great  ravages ;  but, 
hearing  that  the  King  of  Norway  was  coming 
against  them  with  a  superior  fleet,  they  de- 
parted, and  were  driven  by  a  storm  on  shoals, 
where  part  of  the  fleet  was  wrecked,  and  the 
rest  were  saved  on  Grisland,  "  a  great  island, 
but  not  inhabited." 

Zichmni  then  determined  to  attack  Ice- 
land, which  belonged  to  the  King  of  Norway ; 
but,  finding  it  well  fortified  and  defended, 
and  his  fleet  being  diminished,  he  retired 
and  built  a  fort  in  Bress,  one  of  seven  small 
islands,  where  he  left  Nicolo  and  returned  to 
Frisland. 

In  the  next  spring  Zeno,  with  three  small 


140  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

barks,  sailed  to  the  northward  on  discovery, 
and  arrived  at  Engroenland,  where  he  found 
a  monastery  of  friars,  and  a  church  dedicated 
to  St.  Thomas,  situate  near  a  volcano,  and 
heated  by  warm  springs  flowing  from  the 
mountain. 

After  the  death  of  Nicolo,  which  happened 
in  about  four  years,  Antonio  sucpeeded  him 
in  the  command  of  the  fleet ;  and  the  Prince 
Zichmni,  aiming  at  the  sovereignty  of  the 
sea,  undertook  an  expedition  westward,  be- 
cause that  some  fishermen  had  discovered 
rich  and  populous  islands  in  that  quarter. 

The  report  of  the  fishermen  was,  thai 
above  a  thousand  miles  westward  from  Fris- 
land,  to  which  distance  they  had  been  driv- 
en by  a  tempest,  there  was  an  island  called 
Estotiland,  which  they  had  discovered  twen- 
ty-six years  before  ;  that  six  men  in  one  boat 
were  driven  upon  the  island,  and,  being  taken 
by  the  inhabitants,  were  brought  into  a  fair 
and  populous  city  ;  that  the  king  of  the  place 
sent  for  many  interpreters,  but  none  was 
found  who  could  understand  the  language  of 
the  fishermen,  except  one  who  could  speak 
Latin,  and  he  had  formerly  been  cast  ashore 
on  the  island  ;  that,  on  his  reporting  their  case 
to  the  king,  he  detained  them  five  years,  in 


ZENO.  141 

which  time  they  learned  the  language ;  that 
one  of  them  visited  divers  parts -of  the  island, 
and  reported  that  it  was  a  very  rich  country, 
abounding  with  all  the  commodities  of  the 
world ;  that  it  was  less  than  Iceland,  but  far 
more  fruitful,  having  in  the  middle  a  very 
high  mountain,  from  which  originated  four 
rivers. 

The  inhabitants  were  described  as  very  in- 
genious, having  all  mechanic  arts.  They 
had  a  peculiar  kind  of  language  and  letters ; 
in  the  king's  library  were  preserved  Latin 
books,  which  they  did  not  understand.  They 
had  all  kinds  of  metals  (but  especially  gold, 
with  which  they  mightily  abounded.*)  They 
held  traffic  with  the  people  of  Engroenland, 
from  whence  they  brought  furs,  pitch,  and 
brimstone.  They  had  many  great  forests, 
which  supplied  them  with  timber  for  the 
building  of  ships,  houses,  and  fortifications. 
The  use  of  the  loadstone  was  not  known  ;  but 
these  fishermen  having  the  mariner's  com- 
pass, were  held  in  so  high  estimation  that  the 
king  sent  them  with  twelve  barks  to  a  coun- 
try at  the  southward,  called  Drogio,  where 

*  This  passage  is  in  Hakhiyt's  translation,  and  the  abridg- 
ment by  Ortelius ;  but  Dr.  Forstcr  could  not  find  it  in  the  Italian 
original  of  Rarausio. — Northern  Voyages,  p.  189. 


142  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

the  most  of  them  were  killed  and  devoured 
by  cannibals ;  but  one  of  them  saved  him- 
self by  showing  the  savages  a  way  of  taking 
fish  by  nets,  in  much  greater  plenty  than  by 
any  other  mode  before  known  among  them. 
This  fisherman  was  in  so  great  demand  with 
the  princes  of  the  country,  that  they  frequent- 
ly made  war  on  each  other  for  the  sake  of 
gaining  him.  In  this  manner  he  passed  from 
one  to  another,  till,  in  the  space  of  thirteen 
years,  he  had  lived  with  twenty-five  different 
princes,  to  whom  he  communicated  his  "  mi- 
raculous" art  of  fishing  with  nets. 

He  thus  became  acquainted  with  every  part 
of  the  country,  which  he  described  to  be  so 
extensive  as  to  merit  the  name  of  a  new  world. 
The  people  were  rude,  and  ignorant  of  the  use 
of  clothing,  though  their  climate  was  cold, 
and  afforded  beasts  for  the  chase.  In  their 
hunting  and  wars  they  used  the  bow  and  the 
lance,  but  they  knew  not  the  use  of  metal. 

Farther  to  the  southwest  the  air  was  said 
to  be  more  temperate  and  the  people  more 
civil.  They  dwelt  in  cities,  built  temples, 
and  worshipped  idols,  to  whom  they  offered 
human  victims  ;  and  they  had  plenty  of  gold 
and  silver. 

The  fisherman,  having  become  fully  ac- 


Z  E  N  O.  143 

quainted  with  the  country,  meditated  a  return. 
Having  fled  through  the  woods  to  Drogio, 
after  three  years  some  boats  arrived  from  Es- 
totiland,  in  one  of  which  he  embarked  for 
that  country ;  and  having  acquired  consider- 
able property,  he  fitted  out  a  bark  of  his  own 
and  returned  to  Frisland. 

Such  was  the  report  of  the  fisherman,  upon 
hearing  of  which  Zichmni  resolved  to  equip 
his  fleet  and  go  in  search  of  the  new  coun 
try,  Antonio  Zeno  being  the  second  in  com- 
mand. But  "  the  preparation  for  the  voy- 
age to  Estotiland  was  begun  in  an  evil  hour ; 
the  fisherman,  who  was  to  have  been  the  pi- 
lot, died  three  days  before  their  departure." 

However,  taking  certain  mariners  who  had 
sailed  with  the  fisherman,  Zichrnni  began  the 
intended  voyage.  When  he  had  sailed  a 
small  distance  to  the  westward,  he  was  over- 
taken by  a  storm  which  lasted  eight  days,  at 
the  end  of  which  they  discovered  land,  which 
the  natives  called  Icaria.  They  were  nu- 
merous and  formidable,  and  would  not  per- 
mit him  to  come  on  sh&re.  From  this  place 
they  sailed  six  days  to  the  westward  with  a 
fair  wind,  but  a  heavy  gale  from  the  south- 
ward drove  them  four  days  before  it,  when 
they  discovered  land,  in  which  was  a  volcano. 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

The  air  was  mild  and  temperate,  it  being  the 
Height  of  summer.  They  took  a  great  quan- 
tity of  fish,  of  seafowl  and  their  eggs.  A 
party,  who  penetrated  the  country  as  far  as 
the  foot  of  the  volcano,  found  a  spring,  from 
which  issued  "  a  certain  water  like  pitch, 
which  ran  into  the  sea."  They  discovered 
some  of  the  inhabitants,  who  were  of  small 
stature  and  wild,  and  who,  at  the  approach 
of  the  strangers,  hid  themselves  in  their  caves. 
Having  found  a  good  harbour,  Zichmni  in- 
tended to  make  a  settlement ;  but  his  people 
opposing  it,  he  dismissed  part  of  the  fleet 
under  Zeno,  who  returned  to  Frisland. 

The  particulars  of  this  narrative  were  first 
written  by  Antonio  Zeno,  in  letters  to  his 
brother  Carlo  at  Venice,  from  some  frag- 
ments of  which  a  compilation  was  made  by 
Francisco  Marcolini,  and  preserved  by  Ra- 
musio.  It  was  translated  by  Richard  Hak~ 
luyt,  and  printed  in  the  third  volume  of  the 
second  edition  of  his  collections,  page  121, 
&c.  From  it  Ortelius  has  made  an  extract 
in  his  Tfieatrum  Orbi's. 

Dr.  Forster  has  taken  much  pains  to  exam- 
ine the  whole  account,  both  geographically 
and  historically.  The  result  of  his  inquiry  is, 
that  Frisland  is  one  of  the  Orkneys  ;  that 


ZENO.  145 

Porland  is  the  cluster  of  islands  called  Faro ; 
and  that  Estland  is  Shetland. ' 

At  first,  indeed,  he  was  of  opinion  that 
"  the  countries  described  by  the  Zenos  ac- 
tually existed  at  that  time,  but  had  since  been 
swallowed  up  by  the  sea  in  a  great  earth- 
quake."* This  opinion  he  founded  on  the 
probability  that  all  the  high  islands  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  sea  are  of  volcanic  original,  as  is  evi- 
dent with  respect  to  Iceland  a*nd  the  Faro  Isl- 
ands in  the  North  Sea  ;  the  Azores,  Teneriffe, 
Madeira,  the  Cape  de  Verds,  St.  Helena,  and 
Ascension  in  the  Atlantic ;  the  Society  Isl- 
ands, Otaheite,  Easter,  the  Marquesas,  and 
other  islands  in  the  Pacific.  This  opinion  he 
was  induced  to  relinquish,  partly  because  "  so 
great  a  revolution  must  have  left  behind  it 
some  historical  vestiges  or  traditions,"  but 
principally  because  his  knowledge  of  the  Ru- 
nic language  suggested  to  him  a  resemblance 
between  the  names  mentioned  by  Zeno  and 
those  which  are  given  to  some  of  the  islands 
of  Orkney,  Shetland,  Faro,  and  the  Heb- 
rides. 

However  presumptuous  it  may  appear  to 
call  in  question  the  opinion  of  so  learned  and 
diligent  an  inquirer,  on  a  subject  which  hia 
*  Northern  Voyages,  Dublin  edition,  p.  200. 


146  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

philological  and  geographical  knowledge  must 
enable  him  to  examine  with  the  greatest  pre- 
cision, yet,  from  the  search  which  I  have  had 
opportunity  to  make,  it  appears  to  me  that 
his  first  opinion  was  right  as  far  as  it  respects 
Frisland,  and  perhaps  Porland.  My  reasons 
are  these : 

1.  Dr.  Forster  says  that  Frisland  was 
"  much  larger  than  Iceland  ;"*  and  Hakluyt, 
in  his  account  of  Zeno's  voyage,  speaks  of  it 
as  "  bigger  than  Ireland."!  Neither  of  these 
accounts  can  agree  with  the  supposition  of  its 
being  one  of  the  Orkneys  ;  for  Iceland  is  346 
miles  long  and  200  wide.  Ireland  is  310  in 
length  and  184  in  breadth ;  but  Pomona,  the 
mainland  of  the  Orkneys,  is  but  22  miles  long 
and  20  wide. 

2.  Frisland  was  seen  by  Martin  Frobisher 
in  each  of  his  three  voyages  to  and  from 
Greenland  in  the  years  1576,  1577,  and 
15784  In  his  first  voyage  he  took  his 
departure  from  Foula,  the  westernmost  of 
the  Shetland  Islands,  in  latitude  60°  30', 
and,  after  sailing  W.  by  N.  fourteen  days, 
he  made  the  land  of  Frisland,  "  bearing 
W.N.W.  distant  16  leagues,  in  latitude  61°." 

*  Page  181.  Vol.  iii.,  p.  122. 

$  Hakluyt,  vol.  iii.,  p.  30,  &c. 


ZENO.  147 

In  his  second  voyage  he  sailed  from  the  Ork- 
neys W.N.W.  twenty-six  days  before  he  came 
"within  making  of  Frisland,"  which  he  thus 
describes : 

"  July  4th.  We  made  land  perfect,  and 
knew  it  to  be  Frisland.  Found  ourselves  in 
latitude  60  i°,  and  were  fallen  in  with  the 
southernmost  part  of  this  land.  It  is  thought 
to  be  in  bigness  not  inferior  to  England  ;  and 
is  called  of  some  authors  West  Frisland.  I 
think  it  lieth  more  west  than  any  part  of  Eu- 
rope. It  extendeth  to  the  north  very  far,  as 
seemed  to  us,  and  appeareth  by  a  descrip- 
tion set  out  by  two  brethren,  Nicolo  and  An- 
tonio Zeni,  who,  being  driven  off  from  Ireland 
about  200  years  since,  were  shipwrecked 
there.  They  have  in  their  sea  charts  descri- 
bed every  part,  and,  for  so  much  of  the  land  as 
we  have  sailed  along,  comparing  their  charts 
with  the  coast,  we  find  it  very  agreeable. 
All  along  this  coast  the  ice  lieth  as  a  continu- 
al bulwark,  and  so  defendeth  the  country, 
that  those  who  would  land  there  incur  great 
danger."*  In  his  third  voyage  he  found 
means  to  land  on  the  island.  The  inhabitants 
fled  and  hid  themselves.  Their  tents  were 
made  of  skins,  and  their  boats  were  like 

*  Hakluyt,  vol.  ill.,  p.  62. 
I.— M 


148  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

those  of  Greenland.  From  these  well-au- 
thenticated accounts  of  Frisland,  and  its  sit- 
uation so  far  westward  of  the  Orkneys  and 
Shetland,  it  seems  impossible  that  Dr.  For- 
ster's  second  opinion  can  be  right. 

3.  One  of  the  reasons  which  led  the  doctor 
to  give  up  his  first  opinion,  that  these  lands 
once  existed,  but  had  disappeared,  was,  that 
so  great  a  revolution  must  have  left  some  ves- 
tige behind.  If  no  person  escaped  to  tell  the 
news,  what  better  vestige  can  there  be  than 
the  existence  of  shoals  and  rocks  in  the  pla- 
ces where  these  islands  once  were  known  to 
be  ?  In  a  map  prefixed  to  Crantz's  History 
of  Greenland,  there  is  marked  a  very  exten- 
sive shoal  between  the  latitudes  of  59°  and  60°, 
called  "  The  sunken  land  of  Buss."  Its  lon- 
gitude is  between  Iceland  and  Greenland,  and 
the  author  speaks  of  it  in  these  words  :  "  Some 
are  of  opinion  that  Frirland  was  sunk  by  an 
earthquake,  and  that  it  was  situate  in  those 
parts  where  the  sunken  land  of  Buss  is  mark- 
ed in  the  maps,  which  the  seamen  cautiously 
avoid,  because  of  the  shallow  ground  and 
turbulent  waves."* 

Respecting  Buss  Island  I  have  met  with  no 
other  account  than  what  is  preserved  by  Pur- 

*  Vol.  i.,  p.  273. 


Z  E  N  O.  149 

chas*  in  his  abridgment  of  the  journal  of 
James  Hall's  voyages  from  Denmark  to 
Greenland.  In  his  first  voyage  [A.D.  1605] 
he  remarks  thus  :  "  Being  in  the  latitude  of 
59|°,  we  looked  to  have  seen  Busse  Island ; 
but  I  do  verily  suppose  the  same  to  be  placed 
in  a  wrong  latitude  in  the  marine  charts." 
In  his  second  voyage  [1606]  he  saw  land 
which  he  "  supposed  to  be  Busse  Island,  ly- 
ing more  to  the  westward  than  it  is  placed  in 
the  marine  charts ;"  and  the  next  day,  viz., 
July  2d,  he  writes,  "  we  were  in  a  great  cur- 
rent, setting  S.S.W.,  which  I  suppose  to  set 
between  Busse  Island  and  Frisland  over  to- 
wards America." 

In  a  fourth  voyage,  made  in  1612,  by  the 
same  James  Hall,  from  England,  for  the  dis- 
covery of  a  N.W.  passage,  of  which  there  is 
a  journal  written  by  John  Gatonbe,  and  pre- 
served in  Churchill's  Collections, t  they  kept 
a  good  look-out,  both  in  going  and  returning, 
for  the  island  of  Frisland,  but  could  not  see 
it.  In  a  map  prefixed  to  this  voyage,  Fris- 
land is  laid  down  between  the  latitude  of  61° 
and  62°,  and  Buss  in  the  latitude  of  57°. 
In  Gatonbe's  journal  the  distance  between 
Shetland  and  Frisland  is  computed  to  be  260 

*  Vol.  iv.,  p.  815,  822.  t  Vol.  vi.,  p.  260,268. 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

leagues;  the  southernmost  part  of  Frisiand 
and  the  northernmost  part  of  Shetland  are 
said  to  be  in  the  same  latitude.  There  is 
also  a  particular  map  of  Frisiand  preserved 
by  Purchas,*  in  which  are  delineated  several 
towns  and  cities ;  the  two  islands  of  Ilofo 
and  Ledovo  are  laid  down  to  the  westward 
of  it,  and  another  called  Stromio  to  the  east- 
ward. 

In  a  map  of  the  North  Seas  prefixed  to  an 
anonymous  account  of  Greenland,  in  Church- 
ill's Collection,t  we  find  Frisiand  laid  down 
in  the  latitude  of  62°,  between  Iceland  and 
Greenland. 

We  have,  then,  no  reason  to  doubt  the  ex- 
istence of  these  islands  as  late  as  the  begin- 
ing  of  the  last  century  ;  at  what  time  they 
disappeared  is  uncertain,  but  that  their  place 
has  since  been  occupied  by  a  shoal  we  have 
also  credible  testimony. 

The  appearance  and  disappearance  of  isl- 
ands in  the  Northern  Sea  is  no  uncommon 
thing.  Besides  former  events  of  this  kind, 
there  is  one  very  recent.  In  the  year  1783, 
by  means  of  a  volcanic  eruption,  two  islands 
were  produced  in  the  sea  near  the  S.E.  coast 
of  Iceland.  One  was  supposed  to  be  so  per- 
*  Vol.  iv.,  p.  625.  t  Vol.  ii.,  p.  378. 


ZENO.  151 

manent,  that  the  King  of  Denmark  sent  and 
took  formal  possession  of  it  as  part  of  his  do- 
minions ;  but  the  ocean,  paying  no  regard  to 
tlie  territorial  claim  of  a  mortal  sovereign, 
has  since  reabsorbed  it  in  his  watery  bosom.* 

These  reasons  incline  me  to  believe  that 
Dr.  Forster's  first  opinion  was  well  founded, 
as  far  as  it  respects  Frisland. 

He  supposes  Porland  to  be  the  cluster  of 
islands  called  Faro.f  But  Porland  is  said  to 
lie  south$  of  Frisland,  whereas  the  Faro  Isl- 
ands lie  northwest  of  Orkney,  which  he  sup- 
poses to  be  Frisland.  The  learned  doctor, 
who  is  in  general  very  accurate,  was  not 
aware  of  this  inconsistency. 

In  the  account  which  Hakluyt  has  given 
of  Martin  Frobisher's  third  voyage,  we  find 
that  one  of  his  ships,  the  Buss  of  Bridgewa- 
ter,  in  her  return  fell  in  with  land  50  leagues 
S.E.  of  Frisland,  "  which  (it  is  said)  was  nev- 
er found  before,"  the  southernmost  part  of 
which  lay  in  latitude  57J°.  Along  the  coast 
of  this  land,  which  they  judged  to  extend  25 
leagues,  they  sailed  for  three  days.$  The 
existence  of  this  land  Dr.  Forster  seems  to 

*  See  a  new  Geographical  Grammar,  by  a  society  in  Edin- 
burgh, published  by  Alexandej.Kincaid,  vol.  i.,  p.  123. 
t  Northern  Voyages,  p.  207.  t  Ibid.,  p.  180. 

$  Hakluyt,  vol.  iii.,  p.  93. 


152  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

doubt,  but  yet  allows  that,  "  if  it  was  then 
really  discovered,  it  must  have  sunk  afterward 
into  the  sea,  as  it  has  never  been  seen  again, 
or  else  these  navigators  must  have  been  mis- 
taken in  their  reckoning." 

If  such  an  island  or  cluster  of  islands  did 
exist  in  the  situation  described  by  Frobisher, 
it  might  be  the  Porland  of  Zeno ;  for  the 
southernmost  part  of  Frisland  lay  in  the  lati- 
tude of  60i° ;  the  southernmost  part  of  this 
land  in  57 J°,  in  a  direction  S.E.  from  it.  It 
was  probably  called  Buss  by  the  English, 
from  the  name  of  Frobisher's  vessel  which 
discovered  it. 

The  only  proof  which  can  now  be  produced 
of  this  fact  must  be  the  actual  existence  of 
rocks  and  shoals  in  or  near  the  same  place. 
Of  this,  it  is  happily  in  my  power  to  produce 
the  evidence  of  two  experienced  shipmasters, 
of  incontestable  veracity,  now  living.*  The 
first  is  Isaac  Smith,  of  Maiden,  near  Boston, 
from  whose  logbook  I  have  made  the  fol- 
lowing extract :  "In  a  voyage  from  Peters- 
burgh  to  Boston,  in  the  ship  Thomas  and  Sa- 
rah, belonging  to  Thomas  Russell,  Esq.,  of 
Boston,  merchant,  Thursday,  August  11, 
1785,  course  W.N.W.,  wind  W.S.W.  At  4 
A.M.  discovered  a  large  rock  ahead,  which 

*   1794. 


Z  E  N  O.  153 

for  some  time  we  took  to  be  a  ship  under 
close-reefed  topsail.  At  7,  being  within  two 
miles,  saw  breakers  under  our  lee,  on  which 
account  wore  ship.  There  are  breakers  in 
two  places  bearing  S.E. ;  one  a  mile,  the  oth- 
er two  miles  from  the  rock.  It  lies  in  lat.  57° 
38' ;  longitude  west  from  London,  13°  36  ; 
and  may  be  discovered  five  leagues  off.  We 
sounded,  and  had  56  fathoms.  The  rock  ap- 
pears to  be  about  100  yards  in  circumference, 
and  50  feet  above  water.  It  makes  like  a 
haystack,  black  below  and  white  on  the  top." 
The  other  is  Nathaniel  Goodwin,  of  Boston, 
who,  in  his  homeward  passage  from  Amster- 
dam, on  the  15th  of  August,  1793,  saw  the 
same  rock.  According  to  his  observation 
(which,  however,  on  that  day  was  a  little  du- 
bious), it  lies  in  lat  57°  48',  and  Ion.  13°  46'. 
He  passed  within  two  miles  of  it  to  the  south- 
ward, and  saw  breakers  to  the  northward  of 
it.  Its  appearance  he  describes  in  the  same 
manner  with  Smith. 

From  these  authorities  I  am  strongly  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  shoal  denominated 
"  the  sunken  land  of  Buss"  is  either  a  part 
of  the  ancient  Frisland  or  of  some  island  in 
its  neighbourhood ;  and  that  the  rock  and 
ledges  seen  by  Smith  and  Goodwin  belonged 


154  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

to  the  cluster  once  called  Porland.  If  these 
conclusions  be  admitted,  there  can  be  no  sus- 
picion of  fiction  in  the  story  of  Zeno,  as  far 
it  respects  Prince  Zichmni  and  his  expedi- 
tions. Shetland  may  then  well  enough  agree 
with  Estland,  which  is  described  by  Hakluyt 
as  lying  "between  Frisland  and  Norway."* 

The  only  place  which  in  Zeno's  relation  is 
called  by  the  same  name  by  which  it  is  now 
known,  is  Iceland ;  though  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Engroenland,  or  Engroneland,  is 
the  same  with  Greenland,  where,  according 
to  Crantz,  there  was  once  a  church  dedicated 
to  St.  Thomas,  and  situate  near  a  volcano 
and  a  hot  spring. t 

But  the  question  is,  Where  shall  we  find 
Estotiland  ?  Dr.  Forster  is  positive  that  "  it 
cannot  be  any  other  country  than  Winland 
(discovered  in  1001),  where  the  Normans 
made  a  settlement."  The  Latin  books  seen 
there  by  the  fisherman  he  supposes  to  have 
been  the  library  of  Eric,  bishop  of  Green- 
land, who  went  thither  in  the  twelfth  century 
to  convert  his  countrymen.  He  is  also  of 
opinion  that  this  fisherman  had  the  use  of  the 

*  Vol.  iii.,  p.  122. 

t  Crantz's  History  of  Greenland,  vol.  ii.,  p.  265.     Purchas, 
vol.  iv.,  p.  651. 


Z  E  N  O.  155 

magnetic  needle,  which  began  to  be  knoAvn 
in  Europe  about  the  year  1302,  before  the 
time  of  the  Zenos.  He  also  thinks  that  the 
country  called  Drogio  is  the  same  with  Florida. 

In  some  of  the  old  maps,  particularly  in 
Sanson's  French  Atlas,  the  name  Estotiland 
is  marked  on  the  country  of  Labrador ;  but 
the  pompous  description  of  it  by  the  fisher- 
man, whether  it  be  Labrador  or  New-Found- 
land,  exceeds  all  the  bounds  of  credibility, 
and  abuses  even  the  license  of  a  traveller. 
The  utmost  extent  of  Zichmni's  expedition,  in 
consequence  of  the  fisherman's  report,  could 
not  be  any  farther  westward  than  Greenland, 
to  which  his  description  well  agrees.  The 
original  inhabitants  were  short  of  stature,  half 
wild,  and  lived  in  caverns  ;  and  between  the 
years  1380  and  1384  they  had  extirpated  the 
Normans  and  the  monks  of  St.  Thomas. 

The  discovery  of  Estotiland  must  there- 
fore rest  on  the  report  of  the  fisherman  ; 
but  the  description  of  it,  of  Drogio,  and  the 
country  S.W.  of  Drogio,  must  be  ranked  in 
the  fabulous  history  of  America,  and  would 
probably  have  been  long  since  forgotten  if 
Christopher  Columbus  had  not  made  his  grand 
discovery,  from  the  merit  of  which  his  rivals 
and  the  enemies  of  the  Spanish  nation  have 
uniformly  endeavoured  to  detract. 


156  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


TV.  CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS.* 

•.WBi-i  ;>•'•       ':   :  -  '-  f"i  ;<.;,         '  .    - 

THE  adventures  which  have  been  already 
spoken  of  were  more  the  result  of  accident 
than  design ;  we  are  now  entering  on  one 
founded  in  science  and  conducted  by  judg- 
ment ;  an  adventure  which,  whether  we  re- 
gard its  conception,  its  execution,  or  its  con- 
sequences, will  always  reflect  the  highest  hon- 
our on  him  who  projected  it. 

[*  Since  the  life  of  Columbus  was  written  by  Dr.  Belknap, 
the  subject  has  been  investigated  with  much  ardour  and  re- 
search, and  new  documents  and  sources  of  evidence  have 
been  brought  to  light.  Many  particulars  of  the  history  of  that 
renowned  navigator  which  were  then  doubtful  have  been  render- 
ed certain,  many  that  were  obscure  have  been  made  plain  ;  and 
though,  in  some  respects,  we  may  still  look  for  farther  and  more 
precise  information,  we  have  yet  enough  to  enable  us  to  do 
ample  justice  to  his  merits,  and  to  furnish  us  with  a  satisfacto- 
ry conception  of  his  character  and  achievements. 

Of  the  works  which  have  been  written  to  illustrate  his  history, 
and  to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for  more  minute  or  extended 
information,  the  History  of  the  Life  and  Voyages  of  Christopher 
Columbus,  by  Washington  Irving,  is  deserving  of  special  notice. 
It  is  in  two  volumes  8vo,  with  an  additional  volume  relating  to 
the  Companions  of  Columbus.  We  are  indebted  to  this  work 
mainly  for  the  corrections  and  additions  we  have  made  to  the 
sketch  by  Dr.  Belknap,  which  we  have  made  more  few  and 
brief,  because  that  work  is  within  the  reach  of  almost  every  one. 
-H.J 

* 


COLUMBUS.  157 

About  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
when  the  Portuguese,  under  the  conduct  of 
Prince  Henry,  and  afterward  of  King  John 
II.,  were  pushing  their  discoveries  along  the 
western  shore  of  Africa,  to  find  a  passage  by 
the  south  to  India,  a  genius  arose,  whose 
memory  has  been  preserved  with  veneration 
in  the  pages  of  history,  as  the  instrument  of 
enlarging  the  region  of  science  and  commerce 
beyond  any  of  his  predecessors.  CHRIS- 
TOPHER COLUMBUS,  a  native  of  the 
republic  of  Genoa,  was  born  in  the  year 
1447,*  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  entered  on 
a  seafaring  life,t  as  the  proper  sphere  in  which 

*  [Mr.  Irving,  with  greater  probability,  places  the  birth  of 
Columbus  in  the  year  1435  or  1436.  The  family  name  is  Co- 
lombo, Latinized  by  the  discoverer  into  Columbus,  and  in  Span- 
ish Colon.  His  father  was  a  wool-comber.  Christopher  was 
the  eldest  of  four  children.  He  was  educated  as  well  as  the 
scanty  means  of  his  father  would  allow,  and  sent  for  a  while  to 
the  University  of  Pavia,  where  he  learned  the  elements  of  those 
sciences  which  are  useful  in  navigation,  to  which  he  early  show- 
ed a  strong  inclination. — H.] 

t  [Probably  under  Colombo,  an  experienced  sea-captain  and  a 
distant  relation.  The  navigation  of  the  Mediterranean  was 
then  perilous,  from  the  number  of  piratical  cruisers  who  roved 
over  it,  and  the  perpetual  feuds  of  the  nations  on  its. banks,  and 
involved  the  mariner  in  constant  hardships,  while  it  required  and 
created  in  him  great  vigilance,  daring,  and  address.  Columbus 
was  probably  engaged  in  the  various  maritime  services  then 
common  and  accounted  lawful  among  those  who  sailed  in  that 


.58  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

his  vigorous  mind  was  destined  to  perform  ex- 
ploits which  should  astonish  mankind.*  He 
was  educated  in  the  sciences  of  geometry 
and  astronomy,  which  form  the  basis  of  nav- 
igation ;  and  he  was  well  versed  in  cosmog- 
raphy, history,  and  philosophy.  His  active 
and  enterprising  genius,  though  it  enabled 
him  to  comprehend  the  old  systems,  yet 
would  not  suffer  him  to  rest  in  their  decisions, 
however  sanctified  by  time  or  by  venerable 
names  ;  but,  determined  to  examine  them  by 
actual  experiment,  he  visited  the  seas  within 
the  polar  circle, t  and  afterward  those  parts 
of  Africa  which  the  Portuguese  had  discover- 
ed, as  far  as  the  coast  of  Guinea ;  and  by  the 
time  that  he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven,  he  had,  from  his  own  experience,  re- 
sea;  not  less  in  piratical  expeditions  or  attacks  upon  the  infidels, 
than  in  the  regular  operations  of  commerce.  We  have  few 
clear  traces  of  his  conduct  in  these  scenes,  but  in  those  few  are 
manifested  the  elements  of  that  skill,  hardihood,  and  self-reliance 
which  were  so  conspicuous  in  his  later  life. — H.] 

*  Life  of  Columbus  by  his  son  Ferdinand,  chap.  iv.  See 
vol.  ii.  of  Churchill's  Collection  of  Voyages.  Herrera's  Hist. 
Amer.,  vol.  i. 

t  [In  a  letter,  a  part  of  which  his  son  has  preserved,  he  says, 
"  In  the  year  1477.  in  February,  I  navigated  one  hundred 
leagues  beyond  Thule,  which  is  seventy-three  degrees  distant 
from  the  equator."  To  what  extent  he  followed  the  track  of 
the  Portuguese  discoverers  on  the  coast  of  Africa  I  have  not 
been  able  to  learn. — H.] 


COLUMBUS.  159 

ceived  the  fullest  conviction,  that  the  opinion 
of  the  ancients  respecting  the  torrid  and  fri- 
gid zones  was  void  of  any  just  foundation. 

When  an  old  system  is  found  erroneous  in 
one  point,  it  is  natural  to  suspect  it  of  far- 
ther imperfections ;  and  when  one  difficulty 
is  overcome,  others  appear  less  formidable. 
•Such  was  the  case  with  Columbus  ;  and  his 
views  were  accelerated  by  an  incident  which 
threatened  to  put  an  end  to  his  life.  During 
one  of  his  voyages,  the  ship  in  which  he  sail- 
ed took  fire  in  an  engagement  with  a  Vene- 
tian galley,  and  the  crew  were  obliged  to  leap 
into  the  sea  to  avoid  perishing  in  the  flames. 
In  this  extremity,  Columbus,  by  the  help  of  a 
floating  oar,  swam  upward  of  two  leagues  to 
the  coast  of  Portugal  near  Lisbon,  and  met 
with  a  welcome  reception  from  many  of  his 
countrymen  who  were  settled  there.* 

*  [There  is  some  doubt  (see  living's  Columbus,  i.,  11, 17,  and 
ii.,  244,  note)  respecting  the  date  of  the  engagement  mentioned 
in  the  text,  and  whether  Columbus  came  to  Lisbon  thus  by  a 
fortunate  accident.  Lisbon  was  then  the  resort  of  the  adventu- 
rous and  skilful  in  navigation,  drawn  thither  by  the  liberality  of 
Prince  Henry  and  the  earnest  projects  of  King  John.  Mr.  Ir- 
ving places  his  arrival  there  in  1470.  His  sketch  of  the  per- 
sonal appearance  of  Columbus  at  that  time  is  interesting. 
"  He  was  tall,  well  formed,  muscular,  and  of  an  elevated  and 
dignified  demeanour.  His  visage  was  long,  and  neither  full  not 
meager  ;  his  complexion  fair  and  freckled,  and  inclined  to  rud- 


160  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

At  Lisbon  he  married  the  daughter*  of 
Perestrello,  an  old  seaman  who  had  been 
concerned  in  the  discovery  of  Porto  Santo 
and  Madeira,  from  whose  journals  and  charts 
he  received  the  highest  entertainment.  Pur- 
suing his  inquiries  in  geography,  and  observ- 
ing what  slow  progress  the  Portuguese  made 
in  their  attempts  to  find  a  way  round  Africa 
to  India,  "  he  began  to  reflect  that,  as  the 
Portuguese  travelled  so  far  southward,  it  were 
no  less  proper  to  sail  westward,"  and  that  it 
was  reasonable  to  expect  to  find  the  desired 
land  in  that  direction. 

It  must  here  be  remembered  that  India  was 
in  part  known  to  the  ancients,  and  that  its 

dy  ;  his  nose  aquiline  ;  his  cheek  bones  were  rather  high ;  his 
eyes  light  gray,  and  apt  to  enkindle ;  his  whole  countenance 
had  an  air  of  authority.  His  hair  in  his  youthful  days  was  of 
alight  colour  ;  but  care  and  trouble  soon  turned  it  gray,  and  at 
thirty  years  of  age  it  was  quite  white.  He  was  moderate  and 
simple  in  diet  and  apparel,  eloquent  in  discourse,  engaging  and 
affable  with  strangers,  and  of  an  amiableness  and  suavity  in  do- 
mestic life  that  strongly  attached  his  household  to  his  person." 
-H.] 

*  [She  was  styled  Dona  Felipa  Monis  de  Perestrello.  Hei 
father  was  Bartolomeo  Monis  de  Perestrello,  "  an  Italian  cava- 
lier, who  had  been  one  of  the  most  distinguished  navigators 
nnder  Prince  Henry,  and  had  colonized  and  governed  the  island 
of  Porto  Santo."  He  was  now  dead,  and  seems  to  have  left  no 
estate  beyond  his  "journals  and  charts."  After  his  marriage,  Co- 
lumbus went  to  Porto  Santo  to  reside. — H.] 


COLUMBUS.  161 

rich  and  useful  productions  had  for  many  cen- 
turies been  conveyed  into  Europe,  either  by 
caravans  through  the  deserts  of  Syria  and  Ara- 
bia, or  by  the  way  of  the  Red  Sea,  through 
Egypt,  into  the  Mediterranean.*  This  lucra- 
tive commerce  had  been  successively  engross- 
ed by  the  Phoenicians,  the  Hebrews,  the 
Egyptians,  the  Assyrians,  the  Palmyrenes, 
the  Arabians,  the  Genoese,  and  the  Venetians. 
The  Portuguese  were  then  seeking  it  by  at- 
tempting the  circumnavigation  of  Africa  ;  and 
their  expectation  of  finding  it  in  that  direction 
was  grounded  on  ancient  historical  traditions, 
that  a  voyage  had  been  formerly  made  by  the 
orders  of  Necho,  king  of  Egypt,  from  the 
Red  Sea,  round  the  southern  part  of  Africa  to 
the  Straits  of  Hercules  ;  and  that  the  same 
route  had  been  traversed  by  Hanno  the  Car- 
thaginian, by  Eudoxus  the  Egyptian,  and 
others.  The  Portuguese  had  consumed  about 
half  a  century  in  making  various  attempts, 
and  had  advanced  no  farther  on  the  western 
coast  of  Africa  than  just  to  cross  the  equator, 
when  Columbus  conceived  his  great  design  of 
finding  India  in  the  west. 

The  causes  which  led  him  to  entertain  this 
idea  are  distinguished  by  his  son,  the  writer 

*  Robertson's  India.     Brace's  Travels. 


162  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

of  his  life,  into  these  three  :  "  natural  reason, 
the  authority  of  writers,  and  the  testimony  of 
sailors." 

By  the  help  of  "  reason"  he  argued  in  this 
manner  :  That  the  earth  and  sea  composed 
one  globe  or  sphere.  This  was  known  by 
observing  the  shadow  of  the  earth  in  lunar 
eclipses.  Hence  he  concluded  that  it  might 
be  travelled  over  from  east  to  west,  or  from 
west  to  east.  It  had  been  explored  to  the 
east  by  some  European  travellers  as  far  as 
Cipango  or  Japan,  and  as  far  westward  as 
the  Azores  or  Western  Islands.  The  remain- 
ing space,  though  now  known  to  be  more  than 
half,  he  supposed  to  be  but  one  third  part  of 
the  circumference  of  the  globe.  If  this  space 
were  an  open  sea,  he  imagined  it  might  be 
easily  sailed  over  ;  and  if  there  were  any  land 
extending  eastwardly  beyond  the  known  lim- 
its of  Asia,  he  supposed  that  it  must  be  near- 
er to  Spain  by  the  west  than  by  the  east.  For 
it  was  then  a  received  opinion  that  the  conti- 
nent and  islands  of  India  extended  over  one 
third  part  of  the  circumference  of  the  globe  ; 
that  another  third  part  was  comprehended 
between  India  and  the  western  shore  of 
Spain ;  therefore  it  was  concluded  that  the 
eastern  part  of  India  must  be  as  near  to  Spain 


COLUMBUS.  163 

as  the  western  part.  This  opinion,  though 
now  known  to  be  erroneous,  yet  being  then 
admitted  as  true,  made  it  appear  to  Columbus 
very  easy  and  practicable  to  discover  India  in 
the  west.  He  hoped,  also,  that  between  Spain 
and  India,  in  that  direction,  there  might  be 
found  some  islands,  by  the  help  of  which,  as 
resting-places  in  his  voyage,  he  might  the  bet- 
ter pursue  his  main  design.  The  probability 
of  the  existence  of  land  in  that  ocean  he  ar- 
gued, partly  from  the  opinion  of  philoso- 
phers, that  there  was  more  land  than  sea  on 
the  surface  of  the  globe,  and  partly  from  the 
necessity  of  a  counterpoise  in  the  west  for  the 
immense  quantity  of  land  which  was  known 
to  be  in  the  east. 

Another  source  from  which  he  drew  his 
conclusion  was  "  the  authority  of  learned 
men,"  who  had  assumed  the  possibility  of 
sailing  from  the  western  coast  of  Spain  to  the 
eastern  bounds  of  India.  Some  of  the  an- 
cient geographers  had  admitted  this  for  truth, 
and  one  of  them*  had  affirmed  that  forty 
days  were  sufficient  to  perform  this  naviga- 
tion. These  authorities  fell  in  with  the  theo- 
ry which  Columbus  had  formed  ;  and  having, 
as  early  as  1474,  communicated  his  ideas  in 

*  Pliny. 
I.— N 


164  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

writing  to  Paul,*  a  learned  physician  of  Flor* 
ence,  he  received  from  him  a  letter  of  that 
date,  confirming  his  opinion  and  encoura- 
ging his  design,  accompanied  with  a  chart,  in 
which  Paul  had  laid  down  the  city  of  Quisay 
(supposed  to  be  the  capital  of  China)  but  lit- 
tle more  than  two  thousand  leagues  westward 
from  Lisbon,  which,  in  fact,  is  but  half  the 
distance.  Thus,  by  arguing  from  true  prin- 
ciples, and  by  indulging  conjectures  partly 
well  founded  and  partly  erroneous,  Columbus 
was  led  to  the  execution  of  a  plan,  bold  in 
its  conception,  and,  to  his  view,  easily  prac- 
ticable ;  for  great  minds  overlook  interme- 
diate obstacles,  which  men  of  smaller  views 
magnify  into  insuperable  difficulties. 

The  third  ground  on  which  he  formed  his 
idea  was  "  the  testimony  of  mariners  ;"  a  class 
of  men  who  at  that  time,  and  in  that  imp  er- 
ect state  of  science,  were  too  prone  to  mix 
fable  with  fact,  and  were  often  misled  by  ap- 
pearances which  they  could  not  solve.  In 
the  sea,  between  Madeira  and  the  Western 
Islands,  pieces  of  carved  wood  and  large 

*  [Paul  or  Paolo  Toscanelli,  an  eminent  native  of  Florence, 
born  in  1397.  He  was  greatly  distinguished  as  an  astronomer, 
geographer,  and  physician.  He  died  in  Florence,  May,  1482.— 
Tiraboschi,  torn,  vi.,  lib.  ii.,  cap.  xxxviii. — H.] 


COLUMBUS.  165 

joints  of  cane  had  been  discovered,  which 
were  supposed  to  be  brought  by  westerly 
winds.  Branches  of  pine-trees,  a  covered 
canoe,  and  two  human  bodies,  of  a  complex- 
ion different  from  the  Europeans  and  Afri- 
cans, had  been  found  on  the  shores  of  these 
islands.  Some  navigators  had  affirmed  that 
they  had  seen  islands  not  more  than  a  hun- 
dred leagues  westward  from  the  Azores. 
There  was  a  tradition  that,  when  Spain  was 
conquered  by  the  Moors  in  the  eighth  centu- 
ry, seven  bishops,  who  were  exiled  from  their 
country,  had  built  seven  cities  and  churches 
on  an  island  called  Antilla,*  which  was 
supposed  to  be  not  more  than  two  hundred 
leagues  west  of  the  Canaries  ;  and  it  was  said 
that  a  Portuguese  ship  had  once  discovered 
this  island,  but  could  never  find  it  again. 
These  stories,  partly  true  and  partly  fabulous, 
had  their  effect  upon  the  mind  of  Colum- 
bus. He  believed  that  islands  were  to  be 
found  westward  of  the  Azores  and  Canaries, 
though,  according  to  his  theory,  they  were  at 
a  greater  distance  than  any  of  his  contempo- 
raries had  imagined.  His  candour  led  him  to 
adopt  an  opinion  from  Pliny  respecting  float- 

*  [Better  known  in  modern  times  as  the  Island  of  the  Seven 
Cities.— H.] 


166  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ing  islands,  by  the  help  of  which  he  account- 
ed for  the  appearances  related  to  him  by  his 
marine  brethren.  It  is  not  improbable  that 
the  large  islands  of  floating  ice  driven  from 
the  Polar  Seas  to  the  southward,  or  the  Fog 
Banks,  which  form  many  singular  appearan- 
ces resembling  land  and  trees,  might  have 
been  the  true  foundation  of  this  opinion  and 
of  these  reports.* 

*  The  following  account  of  a  curious  deception,  extracted 
from  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  may  elucidate  the  above  ob- 
servations. 

"  '  March  4,  1748-9,  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  made  land  which 
bore  N.E.  seven  leagues  distant  by  estimation  :  at  five  tacked, 
being  about  three  leagues  from  said  island,  wind  E.S.E.,  lati- 
tude by  observation  49°  40',  longitude  24°  30'  from  the  Liz- 
ard. This  island  stretches  N.W.  and  S.E.,  about  5  leagues 
long  and  9  miles  wide.  On  the  south  side  fine  valleys  and  a 
great  number  of  birds. 

"  '  March  5,  said  island  bore  N.  three  leagues,  N.W.  a  reef  of 
rocks  three  miles.  This  day  a  ship's  mast  came  alongside. 
On  the  south  point  of  said  island  is  a  small  marshy  island. 

"  '  A  copy  of  my  journal  on  board  the  snow  St.  Paul,  of  Lon- 
don, bound  from  South  Carolina  to  London. 

"  '  William  Otton,  Commander. 

"  '  P.S.  Captain  Otton  thought  he  saw  a  tent  on  the  island, 
and  would  have  gone  ashore,  but  had  unfortunately  stove  his 
boat  some  time  before.' 

"  Commodore  Rodney  is  commissioned  to  go  in  quest  of  an 
island,  which,  according  to  the  report  of  a  master  of  a  ship  and 
some  others,  on  examination  before  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty, 
lies  about  50°  N.  and  about  300  leagues  west  of  England. 
Capt.  Murdock  Mackenzie,  an  excellent  mathematician,  and  au- 


COLUMBUS.  167 

It  is  not  pretended  that  Columbus  was  the 
only  person  of  his  age  who  had  acquired 
these  ideas  of  the  form,  dimensions,  and  bal- 
ancing of  the  globe,  but  he  was  one  of  the 
few  who  had  begun  to  think  for  themselves, 
and  he  had  a  genius  of  that  kind  which 
makes  use  of  speculation  and  reasoning  only 
as  excitements  to  action.  He  was  not  a 
closet  projector,  but  an  enterprising  adventu- 
rer ;  and,  having  established  his  theory  on 
principles,  he  was  determined  to  exert  him- 
self to  the  utmost  to  demonstrate  its  truth 
by  experiment.  But,  deeming  the  enterprise 
too  great  to  be  undertaken  by  any  but  a  sov- 

thor  of  the  sea  charts  of  the  Orkney  and  Lewis  Islands,  attends 
him  in,  the  Culloden  sloop  to  bring  back  an  account  of  what  dis- 
coveries he  may  make.  As  this  island  lies  out  of  the  track  of 
the  trade  to  America,  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  missed  by 
navigators  to  our  colonies,  though  marked  in  some  Dutch  maps. 
If  the  commodore  discovers  it,  he  is  to  take  possession  of  it  by 
the  name  of  Rodney's  Island." 

"  Friday,  April  10,  1752,  Commodore  Rodney  arrived  at 
Woolwich  ;  he  had  been  cruising  ten  days  in  quest  of  an  island, 
and  the  men  at  the  topmasthead  were  more  than  once  deceived 
with  what  the  sailors  call  fog-banks.  About  the  6th  or  7th  day 
the  crew  observed  branches  of  trees  with  their  leaves  on,  and 
flights  of  gulls,  and  pieces  of  shipwreck,  which  are  generally  re- 
garded as  certain  signs  of  an  adjacent  shore,  but  could  not  dis- 
cover any." — Gent.  Mag.  for  1751,  p.  235  ;  for  1752,  p.  88, 189. 

N.B.  The  island  marked  in  the  Dutch  maps  could  not  have 
been  mistaken  for  this  imaginary  island,  being  but  a  single  rock. 
It  is  the  same  that  is  described  in  the  life  of  Zeno,  p.  153. 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ereign  state,  he  first  applied  (as  it  is  said)  to 
the  Republic  of  Genoa,  by  whom  his  project 
was  treated  as  visionary.*  He  then  proposed 
his  plan  to  John  II.,  king  of  Portugal,  who, 
though  a  prince  of  good  understanding  and  of 
an  enterprising  disposition,  yet  was  so  deeply 
engaged  in  prosecuting  discoveries  on  the 
African  coast,  with  a  view  to  find  a  way  to 
India  round  that  continent,  and  had  been  at 
so  vast  an  expense  without  any  considerable 
success,  that  he  had  no  inclination  ro  accept 
the  terms  which  Columbus  proposed.  Influ- 

*  This  is  said  on  the  authority  of  Herrera,  the  royal  Spanish 
historian  :  Ferdinando  Columbus,  in  the  life  of  his  father,  says 
nothing  of  it,  but  represents  his  application  to  the  King  of  Por- 
tugal as  the  first,  and  gives  this  reason  for  it,  "  because  h'e  lived 
under  him."* 

*  [The  previous  application  to  Genoa,  though  strongly  affirm- 
ed, has  now,  we  believe,  been  generally  rejected.     The  circum- 
stances of  the  case,  apart  from  any  conclusive  historical  evi- 
dence, render  it  probable  that  his  first  application  was  to  the 
King  of  Portugal.     Columbus  was  residing  in  his  dominions,  and 
John  was  eminently  liberal  to  maritime  enterprise.     His  propo- 
sals were  more  likely  to  be  well  received  by  him  than  by  a  repub- 
lic then  engaged  in  wars  and  torn  by  internal  dissensions ;  and 
we  find  no  traces  of  so  fond  an  attachment  to  his  native  country 
as  would  induce  a  prudent  man  to  forego  the  advantages  held 
out  to  him  in  the  land  of  his  residence  and  adoption.     The 
precise  date  of  this  application  is  not  known.     It  was  undoubt- 
edly in  1482  or  1483,  as  John  II.  ascended  the  throne  in  1481, 
and  Columbus  left  Portugal  in  1484.— H.] 


COLUMBUS.  169 

enced,  however,  by  the  advice  of  Calzadilla,* 
a  favourite  courtier,  he  privately  gave  orders 
to  a  ship,  bound  to  the  islands  of  Cape  de 
Verd,  to  attempt  a  discovery  in  the  west ;  but, 
through  ignorance  and  want  of  enterprise,  the 
navigators,  after  wandering  for  some  time  in 
the  ocean  and  making  no  discovery,  reached 
their  destined  port  and  turned  the  project  of 
Columbus  into  ridicule. 

Disgusted  with  this  base  artifice,  he  quitted 
Portugal,!  and  went  to  Ferdinand,  king  of 

*  [Diego  Ortiz,  called  Calzadilla,  from  the  name  of  his  native 
place,  a  man  of  learning,  then  bishop  of  Ceuta,  and  confessor 
to  the  king.  He  was  one  of  a  number  of  scientific  men  to 
whom  the  proposals  of  Columbus  were  referred  by  the  king  for 
their  judgment. — H.] 

t  [He  left  Portugal  near  the  close  of  the  year  1484.  In  the 
fall  of  1485  he  entered  Spain.  He  had  left  Portugal  deeply  in 
debt  and  to  avoid  an  arrest.  He  entered  Spain  with  tis  for- 
tunes in  no  way  improved,  and  with  feeble  hopes.  The  circum- 
stances of  his  entrance  are  too  singular  and  romantic  to  be  omit- 
ted. One  day  a  stranger,  on  foot,  in  humble  guise,  but  of  a  dis- 
tinguished air,  accompanied  by  a  small  boy,  stopped  at  the  gate  of 
a  convent  of  Franciscan  friars,  half  a  league  from  the  little 
seaport  of  Palos,  in  Andalusia,  and  asked  of  the  porter  a  little 
bread  and  water  for  his  child.  While  receiving  this  humble  re 
freshment,  the  prior  of  the  convent,  Juan  de  Perez  Marchena,  hap- 
pening to  pass  by,  was  struck  with  the  appearance  of  the  stran- 
ger, and  entered  into  conversation  with  him.  That  stranger 
was  Columbus,  attended  by  his  little  son  Diego.  The  prior 
was  a  man  of  learning,  especially  in  geography  and  nautical 
science.  He  was  struck  with  the  lofty  views  of  Columbus,  and 
detained  him  as  his  guest.  It  was  now  lato  in  August,  and 


170  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

Spain,  having  previously  sent  his  brother  to 
England  to  solicit  the  patronage  of  Henry 

Columbus  passed  the  winter  in  this  lonely  retreat.  The  prior 
was  charmed  by  his  conversation  and  persuaded  by  his  argu- 
ments, and  continued  ever  after  his  zealous  and  steadfast 
friend.  When  the  spring  opened  and  his  guest  would  be  gone, 
the  worthy  prior  gave  him  a  letter  to  Fernando  de  Talavera, 
confessor  to  the  queen,  a  man  of  great  influence  in  public  af- 
fairs, urging  the  scheme  of  Columbus  upon  his  attention.  Re- 
freshed with  this,  hope,  the  wanderer  set  forth  again,  to  seek  an 
audience  of  the  confessor,  and,  through  him,  of  the  queen. 

Talavera  received  him  with  coolness,  and  believed  him  vis- 
ionary. Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were  in  the  midst  of  their 
wars  with  the  Moors.  The  whole  court  was  busied  in  mil- 
itary preparations  and  action.  None  had  leisure  to  listen  to 
the  speculations  of  an  obscure  adventurer ;  and  he  who  could 
open  a  new  world  to  him  who  would  befriend  him,  was  fain 
to  take  his  place  among  lackeys  and  the  humblest  servitors, 
that  he  might,  perchance,  in  some  happy  hour,  gain  a  hearing 
for  his  vast  suit.  Slowly  did  he  gain  here  and  there  a  friend 
who  might  at  some  time  be  of  service  to  him.  After  many  de- 
lays and  much  uncertainty,  the  archbishop  of  Toledo  assented 
to  his  views,  and  brought  him  to  the  presence  of  the  king.  The 
king  hesitated  and  was  doubtful,  and  referred  the  subject  to  a 
select  council  of  learned  men,  to  hear,  examine,  and  report. 

The  council  met  in  1486,  in  the  Dominican  convent  of  St. 
Stephen  at  Salamanca  ;  the  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  studious 
monks,  and  learned  professors,  to  decide  on  the  project  of  an  ob- 
scure and  solitary  theorizer.  They  gave  more  heed  to  the  fa- 
thers than  to  the  deductions  of  reason,  and  answered  an  argu- 
ment of  science  with  a  quotation  from  Lactantius.  They  were 
not  ignorant,  but  they  had  not  learned  the  different  provinces  of 
faith  and  reason.  Some  of  them  were  convinced,  but  a  major- 
ity could  not  be  persuaded.  The  simple  navigator  proved  him- 
self no  mean  theologian,  and  quoted  prophecy  as  an  offset  to  the 


COLUMBUS.  171 

VII.  But,  being  taken  by  pirates  and  de- 
tained several  years  in  captivity,  Bartholomew 
had  it  not  in  his  power  to  reveal  his  project  to 

fathers  ;  but  he  was  a  stranger,  with  little  academic  lore,  and 
could  not' prevail. 

The  court,  meanwhile,  was  occupied  with  campaigns,  and  Co- 
lumbus, still  sanguine,  and  yet  waiting  for  a  formal  decision, 
accompanied  its  movements.  Day  after  day,  and  year  after 
year,  he  waited  in  vain.  Conferences  of  the  learned  were  pro- 
posed and  postponed  ;  his  sovereigns  were  detained  from  him  as 
well  by  victory  as  by  war ;  and  four  years  had  passed  before  the 
opinion  of  the  council  was  given,  that  the  scheme  was  visionary 
and  impossible.  Thus  far,  led  on  by  hopes,  Columbus  had 
gained  a  scanty  livelihood  by  drawing  maps  and  charts,  or  had 
been  maintained  by  the  bounty  of  the  queen.  Leaving  the 
court,  he  applied  to  two  powerful  nobles,  the  Dukes  of  Medina 
Sidonia  and  Medina  Celi,  with  some  favour,  but  with  no  suc- 
cess, and  retired  once  more  to  the  convent  at  Palos. 

On  the  return  of  peace  he  was  again  recalled  from  his  seclu- 
sion ;  and,  now  that  his  visions  of  many  years  had  ripened  in  his 
own  mind  to  certainty,  and  he  claimed  the  honours  due  to  his 
discovery  as  if  it  had  been  already  made,  he  endured  the  mor- 
tification of  being  again  rejected,  for  the  very  pride  and  assu- 
rance of  his  conviction.  Indignant  and  chagrined,  he  resolved 
to  abandon  Spain  forever  ;  and,  "  having  mounted  his  mule,  sal- 
lied forth  from  Santa  Fe  early  in  February,  1492."  He  "  had 
pursued  his  lonely  way  across  the  Vega,  and  had  reached  the 
bridge  of  Pinos,  about  two  leagues  from  Granada,  when  he  was 
overtaken  by  a  courier  from  the  queen,  spurring  in  all  speed, 
who  summoned  him  to  return  to  Santa  Fe."  He  trusted  once 
more,  and  this  time  to  the  promise  of  the  queen,  and  was  not 
disappointed.  She  had  become  convinced  by  some  earnest 
friends  of  Columbus ;  the  expenses  of  the  voyage  had  been 
pledged  ;  and  he  returned  to  reap  the  reward  of  so  many  years 
of  solicitation  and  repulse,  of  suspense  and  despondency. — H.  | 

I.— 0 


172  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

Henry  till  Christopher  Columbus  had  suc- 
ceeded in  Spain.  Before  this  could  be  ac- 
complished he  had  various  obstacles  to  sur- 
mount ;  and  it  was  not  till  after  seven  years 
of  painful  solicitation  that  he  obtained  his  re- 
quest. 

The  objections  made  to  the  proposal  of 
Columbus  by  the  most  learned  men  in  Spain, 
to  whom  the  consideration  of  it  was  referred, 
will  give  us  some  idea  of  the  state  of  geo- 
graphical science  at  that  time.  One  objection 
was,  How  should  he  know  more  than  all  the 
wise  men  and  skilful  sailors  who  had  existed 
since  the  creation  ?  Another  was  the  author- 
ity of  Seneca,  who  had  doubted  whether  it 
were  possible  to  navigate  the  ocean  at  any 
great  distance  from  the  shore  ;  but,  admitting 
that  it  were  navigable,  they  imagined  that 
three  years  would  be  required  to  perform  the 
voyage  which  Columbus  proposed.  A  third 
was,  that  if  a  ship  should  sail  westward  on  a 
round  globe,  she  would  necessarily  go  down 
on  the  opposite  side,  and  then  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  return,  because  it  would  be  like 
climbing  up  a  hill,  which  no  ship  could  do 
with  the  strongest  wind.  A  fourth  objection 
was  grounded  on  a  book  of  St.  Augustine,  in 
which  he  had  expressed  his  doubt  of  the  ex- 


COLUMBUS.  173 

istence  of  antipodes  and  the  possibility  of  go- 
ing from  one  hemisphere  to  the  other.  As 
the  writings  of  this  holy  father  had  received 
the  sanction  of  the  Church,  to  contradict  him 
was  deemed  heresy. 

For  such  reasons  and  by  such  reasoners, 
the  proposal  of  Columbus  was  at  first  reject- 
ed ;  but,  by  the  influence  of  John  Perez,*  a 
Spanish  priest,  and  Lewis  Santangel,t  an  offi- 
cer of  the  king's  household,  Queen  Isabella 
was  persuaded  to  listen  to  his  solicitation, 
and,  after  he  had  been  twice  repulsed,  to  re- 
call him  to  court,  when  she  offered  to  pawn  her 
jewels  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  equipment, 
amounting  to  no  more  than  2500  crowns  ; 
which  sum  was  advanced  by  Santangel,  and 
the  queen's  jewels  were  saved.  Thus,  to  the 
generous  decision  of  a  female  mind  we  owe 
the  discovery  of  America. 

The  conditions  stipulated  between  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella!  on  the  one  part,  and  Co- 

*  [Juan  Perez  de  Marchena,  already  mentioned  as  the  early 
and  warm  friend  of  Columbus,  the  worthy  and  learned  prior  of 
the  convent  at  Palos. — H.] 

t  [Louis  de  St.  Angel,  receiver  of  the  ecclesiastical  reve- 
nues in  Aragon.  The  queen  relied  much  on  his  prudence,  and 
was  moved  by  his  earnestness.  The  low  sum  at  which  he  put  the 
cost  of  the  enterprise,  two  vessels  and  three  thousand  crowns, 
may  have  had  some  weight. — H.] 

t  [The  lives  and  characters  of  these  joint  monarchs  of  Spain 


174 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


lumbus  on  the  other  part,  were  these :  "  That 
he,  his  heirs  and  successors,  should  hold  the 
office  of  admiral  in  all  those  islands  and  con- 
tinents which  he  should  discover,  that  he 
should  be  viceroy  and  governor  of  the  same, 
with  power  of  nominating  three  associates,  of 
whom  their  majesties  should  appoint  one. 
That  he  should  have  one  tenth  part  of  the 
nett  proceeds  of  all  the  gold  and  silver,  pre- 
cious stones,  spice,  and  other  merchandise 
which  should  be  found ;  that  he,  or  a  deputy 
of  his  own  appointing,  should  decide  all  con- 
troversies respecting  the  trade  ;  that  he  should 
be  at  one  eighth  part  of  the  expense  of  equip- 

have  been  fully  delineated  by  Mr.  Prescott  in  his  History  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and  by  Mr.  Irving  in  his  History  of 
Columbus.  We  give  a  sketch  of  their  personal  appearance 
from  Irving.  "  Ferdinand  was  of  the  middle  stature,  well  pro- 
portioned, and  hardy  and  active  from  athletic  exercise.  His 
carriage  was  free,  erect,  and  majestic.  He  had  a  clear,  serene 
forehead,  which  appeared  more  lofty  from  his  head  being  partly 
bald.  His  eyebrows  were  large  and  parted,  and,  like  his  hair,  of 
a  bright  chestnut ;  his  eyes  were  clear  and  animated  ;  his  com- 
plexion somewhat  ruddy ;  his  mouth  moderate,  well  formed,  and 
gracious  in  its  expression ;  his  teeth  white,  though  small  and  ir- 
regular ;  his  voice  sharp,  his  speech  quick  and  fluent.  Isabella 
was  well  formed  and  of  the  middle  size.  Her  complexion  was 
fair,  her  hair  auburn,  inclining  to  red ;  her  eyes  of  a  clear  blue  ; 
and  there  was  a  singular  modesty  in  her  countenance,  gracing 
as  it  did  a  wonderful  firmness  of  purpose  and  earnestness  of 
spirit."— H.] 


COLUMBUS.  175 

ping  the  first  fleet,  and  should  receive  one 
eighth  part  of  the  profits."* 

The  necessary  preparations  being  made, 
and  a  year's  provision  laid  in,  on  the  3d  of 
August,  1492,  Columbus  sailed  from  Palos,  a 
port  of  Spain,  on  the  Mediterranean,!  with 
three  vessels,  one  of  which  was  called  a  car- 
rack^  and  the  other  two  caravels, §  having 

*  [The   conditions  were  mutually  signed  April   17,    1492. 
The  dignity  and  privileges  of  viceroy  and  governor  were  secu- 
red to  his  descendants,  and  the  title  of  Don  an  hereditary  prefix 
to  their  name.     Having  thus  reached  the  height  of  his  ambition, 
Columbus  returned  once  more,  and  in  triumph,  to  the  convent  at 
Palos,  where  he  had  passed  so  many  days  of  weariness,  and  dis- 
appointment, and  sadness. — H.] 

t  [This  port,  as  is  now  well  known,  does  not  lie  on  the  Med- 
iterranean, but  on  the  Atlantic,  in  the  western  part  of  Andij- 
lusia.  It  is  now  a  small  village  of  about  four  hundred  inhabi- 
tants.— H.] 

t  [The  largest,  in  which  Columbus  sailed,  was  called  the 
Santa  Maria.  The  others  were  named  the  Pinta,  commanded  by 
Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  and  the  Nina,  commanded  by  his  broth- 
er, Vincente  Yanez  Pinzon.  Without  the  aid  of  these  brothers 
Columbus  found  it  difficult  to  get  any  ships  for  the  voyage,  so 
great  was  the  reluctance  of  the  merchants  and  navigators  to  en- 
gage in  this  enterprise,  even  though  urged  by  a  royal  order. 
The  largest  was  actually  impressed  into  the  service  by  that  or- 
der.—H.] 

$  A  carrack  was  a  vessel  with  a  deck  ;  a  caravel  had  none.* 
. a — 

*  [The  distinction  mentioned  here  seems  to  be  true,  at  least, 
of  the  ships  of  Columbus,  though  it  has  been  questioned.     We 
have  the  authority  of  Peter  Martyr,  a  contemporary  of  Colum- 
bus, that,  of  the  three  vessels  of  his  fleet,  two  had  no  decks 


176  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

on  board  the  whole  ninety  men.*  Having 
passed  through  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  he 
arrived  at  the  Canaries  on  the  12th  of  the 
same  month,  where  he  was  detained  in  refit- 
ting one  of  the  caravels,  and  taking  in  wood 
and  water,  till  the  6th  of  September,  when  he 
sailed  westward  on  his  voyage  of  discovery. 
This  voyage,  which  now  is  considered  as  an 
easy  and  pleasant  run,  between  the  latitudes 
of  20  and  30  degrees,  with  a  trade-wind,  was 
then  the  boldest  attempt  which  had  ever  been 
made,  and  filled  the  minds  of  the  best  seamen 
with  apprehension.  They  were  going  direct- 
ly from  home,  and  from  all  hope  of  relief  if 
any  accident  should  befall  them.  No  friend- 
ly port  nor  human  being  was  known  to  be  in 
that  direction.  Every  bird  which  flew  in  the 

"  Two  of  them,"  says  Mr.  Irving,  i.,  78,  "  were  light  barges, 
and  called  caravels,  not  superior  to  river  and  coasting  craft  of 
modern  days.  They  are  delineated  (in  old  prints  and  paintings) 
as  open,  and  without  deck  in  the  centre,  but  built  up  high  at 
the  prow  and  stern,  with  forecastles  and  cabins  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  crew."  They  were  thought  the  best  on  voya- 
ges of  discovery,  on  account  of  their  slight  draught.  The  word 
caravel  is  commonly  used  to  designate  a  small  kind  of  craft, 
and  often,  I  suppose,  without  reference*  to  its  having  a  deck  or 
not.  See  note  to  Irving's  Columbus,  ii.,  278. — H.] 

*  [The  crew  consisted  of  ninety  persons.  The  whole  num- 
ber on  board,  including  several  private  adventurers,  servants, 
&c.,  was  one  hundred  and  twenty. — H.] 


COLUMBUS.  177 

air,  every  fish  which  appeared  in  the  sea,  and 
.every  weed  which  floated  on  its  surface,  was 
regarded  with  the  most  minute  attention,  as 
if  the  fate  of  the  voyage  depended  on  it.  A 
phenomenon  which  had  never  before  been 
observed  struck  them  with  terror.  The  mag- 
netic needle  appeared  to  vary  from  the  pole. 
They  began  to  apprehend  that  their  compass 
would  prove  an  unfaithful  guide  ;  and  the 
trade-wind,  which  wafted  .them  along  with 
its  friendly  wings,  they  feared  would  obstruct 
their  return. 

To  be  twenty  days  at  sea,  without  sight  of 
land,  was  what  the  boldest  mariner  had  never 
before  attempted.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  the  impatient  sailors  began  to  talk  of 
throwing  their  commander  into  the  ocean 
and  returning  home.  Their  murmurs  reach- 
ed his  ears  ;  but  his  active  mind  was  never  at 
a  loss  for  expedients,  even  in  the  greatest  ex- 
tremity. By  soothing,  flattery,  and  artifice, 
by  inventing  reasons  for  every  uncommon  ap- 
pt arance,  by  promising  rewards  to  the  obe- 
dient, and  a  gratuity  to  him  who  should  first 
discover  land,  in  addition  to  what  the  king 
had  ordered,  and  by  deceiving  them  in  the 
ship's  reckoning,*  he  kept  them  on  their 
*  [He  kept  two  logbooks  ;  one  correct,  for  his  own  use,  and 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

course  for  sixteen  days  longer.  In  the  night 
of  the  llth  of  October  he  himself  saw  a  light, 
which  seemed  to  be  on  shore,  and  in  the 
morning  of  the  12th  they  had  the  joyful 
sight  of  land,  which  proved  to  be  the  island 
of  Guanahana,  one  of  the  cluster  called  Ba- 
hamas, in  the  25th  degree  of  north  latitude.* 

Thus,  in  the  space  of  thirty-six  days,t  and 
in  the  45th  year  of  his  agey  Columbus  com- 
pleted a  voyage  which  he  had  spent  twenty 
years  in  projecting  and  executing  ;  a  voyage 
which  opened  to  the  Europeans  a  new  world  j 
which  gave  a  new  turn  to  their  thoughts,  to 
their  spirit  of  enterprise  and  of  commerce  ; 
which  enlarged  the  empire  of  Spain,  and 
stamped  with  immortality  the  name  of  Co- 
lumbus. 

After  spending  several  months  in  sailing 
from  one  island  to  another  in  that  vast  archi- 
pelago, which,  from  the  mistakes  of  the  age, 
received  the  name  .of  the  West  Indies^  Co- 

thc  other  open  to  his  men,  in  which  a  number  of  leagues  were 
subtracted  from  the  ship's  daily  distance. — H.] 

*  [This  island  was  named  by  Columbus  San  Salvador,  and, 
more  recently,  has  been  called  by  the  English  Cat  Island.  The 
original  name  was  more  properly  Guanahani. — H.] 

t  [Reckoning  from  the  Canaries.  The  age  of  Columbus, 
following  the  date  given  by  Mr.  Irving,  must  have  been  fifty-si* 
or  fifty-seven. — H.] 

t  fit  ought  to  be  added,  to  the  honour  of  Columbus,  that  his 
/entment  of  the  natives  was  uniformly  humane  and 


COLUMBUS.  179 

lumbus  returned  to  Spain*  with  the  two  small- 
er vessels  (ihe  larger  having  been  wrecked  on 
the  island  of  Hispaniola),  leaving  behind  him 
a  colony  of  thirty-nine  men,  furnished  with  a 
year's  provisions,  and  lodged  in  a  fort  which 
had  been  built  of  the  timber  saved  from  the 
wreck.  During  his  passage  he  met  with  a 
violent  tempest,  which  threatened  him  with 
destruction.  In  this  extremity  he  gave  an 
admirable  proof  of  his  calmness  and  foresight. 
He  wrote  on  parchment  an  account  of  his 
discoveries,  wrapped  it  in  a  piece  of  oiled 
cloth,  and  enclosed  it  in  a  cake  of  wax,  which 
he  put  into  a  tight  cask  and  threw  into  the 
sea.  Another  parchment,  secured  in  the 
same  manner,  he  placed  on  the  stern,  that,  if 
the  ship  should  sink,  the  cask  might  float,  and 
possibly  one  or  the  other  might  be  driven  on 
shore,  or  taken  up  at  sea  by  some  future  nav- 
igator. But  this  precaution  proved  fruitless. 
He  arrived  safe  in  Spain,  in  March,!  1493, 
and  was  received  with  the  honours  due  to  his 
merit. 

equally  politic  and  Christian,  and  in  fine  contrast  with  the  sav- 
age and  murderous  course  pursued  by  later  adventurers. — H.] 
*  [He  set  sail  from  La  Navidad  Jan.  4th,  1493. — H.] 
t  [He  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus  on  the  fourth  of  the 
month.     The  brief  and  scanty  outline  of  this  voyage  given 
in  the  text  may  easily  be  filled  out  from  the  ample   mate- 


180  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

The  account  which  Columbus  gave  of  his 
new  discoveries,*  the  specimens  of  gold  and 
other  valuable  productions,  and  the  sight  of 
the  natives  which  he  carried  from  the  West 
Indies  to  Spain,  were  so  pleasing  that  the 
court  determined  on  another  expedition.1 
But  first  it  was  necessary  to  obtain  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  pope,  who  readily  granted  it ;  and 
by  an  imaginary  line,  drawn  from  pole  to 
pole,  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred  leagues 
westward  of  the  Azores,  he  divided  between 
the  crowns  of  Spain  and  Portugal  all  the 
new' 'countries  already  discovered  or  to  be 
discovered,  giving  the  western  part  to  the 
former,  and  the  eastern  to  the  latter.  No 
provision,  however,  was  made  in  case  that 
they  should  meet,  and  their  claims  should  in- 

rials  now  before  the  public.  The  reader  is  particularly  referred 
to  Irving's  Columbus,  i.,  79-168,  the  collections  of  Navarrette, 
and  the  First  Voyage  of  Columbus,  &c. — H.] 

*  [He  still  supposed  himself  to  have  touched  on  the  east- 
ern shore  of  the  Continent  of  India.  His  imagination,  natural- 
ly ardent,  was  excited  by  all  he  saw  in  the  new  regions  he  had 
opened  to  the  world,  and  still  more  by  the  vague  accounts  he 
had  received  from  the  natives.  He  fully  believed,  and  honestly 
reported,  that  he  had  found  the  region  of  spices,  of  gold,  and  of 
pearls. — H.] 

t  [The  journey  of  Columbus  from  Seville  to  Barcelona, 
where  the  court  then  was,  has  been  likened  to  a  royal  progress, 
and  his  entrance  into  Barcelona  to  a  triumph,  so  great  was  the 
joy  universally  felt  for  his  discoveries,  and  so  great  the  honour 
his  sovereign  and  the  nobles  were  now  disposed  to  pay  him.  The 


COLUMBUS.  181 

terfere  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe. 
The  bull  containing  this  famous  but  imper- 
fect line  of  demarcation  was  signed  by  Alex- 
ander VI.*  on  the  second  day  of  May,  1493  ; 
and  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month,  the  king 
and  queen  of  Spain,  by  a  written  instrument, 
explained  and  confirmed  the  privileges  and 
powers  which  they  had  before  granted  to  Co- 
lumbus, making  the  office  of  viceroy  and 
governor  of  the  Indies  hereditary  in  his  fam- 
ily. On  the  25th  of  September  following  he 
sailed  from  Cadiz,  with  a  fleet  of  seventeen 
ships,  great  and  small,  well  furnished  with  all 
necessaries  for  the  voyage,  and  having  on 
board  1500  people,  with  horses,  cattle,  and 
implements,  to  establish  plantations.t 

second  voyage  was  determined  on  before  he  left  Seville,  and  the 
arrangements  for  it  already  begun.  To  secure  regularity  in  all 
affairs  touching  the  Indies,  a  superintendent  was  appointed  by 
the  crown,  with  a  treasurer  and  comptroller ;  and,  to  provide  for 
the  expenses  of  the  new  expedition,  a  large  portion  of  the  church 
tithes  were  appropriated,  and  the  property  of  a  multitude  of  ex- 
iled Jews  confiscated. — H.] 

*  [Alexander  VI.  was  by  birth  a  Spaniard.  The  bull  defining 
the  line  between  the  future  possessions  of  Spain  and  Portugal 
was  issued  on  the  third  of  May  :  one  had  already  been  granted 
on  the  second,  giving  to  the  Spaniards  the  same  rights  in  the 
lands  discovered  by  them  \\hichhad  been  previously  given  to  the 
Portuguese. — Irving.,  i.,  187.  The  grant  was  made  on  the  con- 
dition of  planting  in  them  the  Catholic  faith. — H.] 

t  [There  was  this  time,  no  lack  of  adventurers.     The  covet- 


182  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

On  Sunday,  the  third  of  November,  he  dis- 
covered an  island,  to  which,  in  honour  of  the 
day,  he  gave  the  name  of  Dominica.*  Af- 
terward he  discovered  in  succession  other 
islands,  which  he  called  Marigalante,  Gua- 
daloupe,  Montserrat,  Redonda,  Antigua,  St. 
Martin's,  St.  Ursula,  and  St.  John.  On  the 
12th  of  November  he  came  to  Navidad,t  on 
the  north  side  of  Hispaniola,  where  he  had 
built  his  fort  and  left  his  colony  ;  but  he  had 
the  mortification  to  find  that  the  people  were 
all  dead,  and  that  the  fort  had  been  destroyed. 

The  account  given  by  the  natives  of  the 
loss  of  the  colony  was,  that  they  fell  into  dis- 
cord among  themselves  on  the  usual  subjects 
of  controversy,  women  and  gold  ;  that,  hav- 
ing provoked  a  chief,  whose  name  was  Ca- 
naubo,  he  came  against  them  with  a  superior 
force,  and  destroyed  them  ;  that  some  of  the 
natives,  in  attempting  to  defend  them,  had 
been  killed,  and  others  were  then  ill  of  their 

ous  and  the  heroic,  soldiers  and  priests,  gentlemen  and  nobles, 
all  were  eager  to  embark  in  an  enterprise  in  which  gain  or  fame 
was  to  be  won. — H.] 

*  [From  having  discovered  it  on  Sunday,  Dies  Dominica, 
i.  e.,  the  Lord's  Day.— H.J 

t  [Nov.  14  he  discovered  Santa  Cruz ;  still  later,  an  island 
which  he  called  St.  Juan  Bautista,  now  called  Porto  Rico,  and 
cast  anchor  off  La  Navidad  on  the  27th.— Irving,  i.,  217.— H.] 


COLUMBUS.  183 

wounds,  which,  on  inspection,   appeared  to 
have  been  made  with  Indian  weapons. 

Columbus  prudently  forbore  to  make  any 
critical  inquiry  into  the  matter,  but  hasted  to 
establish  another  colony,  in  a  more  eligible 
situation,  to  the  eastward,  which  he  called 
Isabella,  after  his  royal  patroness.  He  had 
many  difficulties  to  contend  with  besides 
those  which  unavoidably  attend  undertakings 
of  such  novelty  and  magnitude.  Nature,  in- 
deed, was  bountiful :  the  soil  and  climate  pro- 
duced vegetation  with  a  rapidity  to  which  the 
Spaniards  had  not  been  accustomed.  From 
wheat  sown  at  the  end  of  January,  full  ears 
were  gathered  at  the  end  of  March.  The 
stones  of  fruit,  the  slips  of  vines,  and  the 
joints  of  sugarcane  sprouted  in  seven  days, 
and  many  other  seeds  in  half  the  time.  This 
was  an  encouraging  prospect ;  but  the  slow 
operations  of  agriculture  did  not  meet  the 
views  of  sanguine  adventurers.  The  numer- 
ous followers  of  Columbus,  some  of  whom 
were  of  the  best  families  in  Spain,  had  con- 
ceived hopes  of  suddenly  enriching  them- 
selves by  the  precious  metals  of  those,  new 
regions,  and  were  not  disposed  to  listen  to  his 
recommendations  of  patience  and  industry 
in  cultivating  the  earth.  The  natives  were 


184  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

displeased  with  the  licentiousness  of  their  new 
neighbours,  who  endeavoured  to  keep  them 
in  awe  by  a  display  of  force.  The  explo- 
sion of  firearms,  and  the  sight  of  men  mount- 
ed on  horses,  were  at  first  objects  of  terror ; 
but  use  had  rendered  them  less  formidable. 
Columbus,  overburdened  with  care  and  fa- 
tigue, fell  sick,  and  at  his  recovery  found  a 
mutiny  among  his  men,  which,  by  a  due  mix-' 
ture  of  resolution  and  lenity,  he  had  the  ad- 
dress to  quell.  He  then  endeavoured  to  es- 
tablish discipline  among  his  own  people,  and 
to  employ  the  natives  in  cutting  roads  through 
the  woods.  While  he  was  present  and  able 
to  attend  to  business,  things  went  on  so  pros- 
perously that  he  thought  he  might  safely  pro- 
ceed on  his  discoveries. 

In  his  former  voyage  he  had  visited  Cuba, 
but  was  uncertain  whether  it  were  an  island 
or  a  part  of  some  continent.  He  therefore 
passed  over  to  its  eastern  extremity,  and 
coasted  its  southern  side  till  he  found  himself 
entangled  among  a  vast  number  of  small  isl- 
ands, which,  for  their  beauty  and  fertility,  he 
called  the  Garden  of  the  Queen ;  but  the 
dangerous  rocks  and  shoals  which  surrounded 
them  obliged  him  to  stretch  farther  to  the 
southward,  by  which  means  he  discovered  the 


COLUMBUS.  185 

island  of  Jamaica,  where  he  found  water  and 
other  refreshments  for  his  men,  who  were  al- 
most dead  with  famine.  The  hazard,  fa- 
tigue, and  distress  of  this  voyage  threw  him 
into  a  lethargic  disorder,  from  which  he  had 
just  recovered,  when  he  returned  to  his  colo- 
ny and  found  it  all  in  confusion,  from  the 
same  causes  which  had  proved  destructive  to 
the  first. 

In  his  absence,  the  licentiousness  of  the 
Spaniards  had  provoked  several  of  the  chiefs, 
four  of  whom  had  united  to  destroy  them,  and 
had  actually  commenced  hostilities,  in  which 
twenty  Spaniards  were  killed.  Columbus 
collected  his  people,  put  them  into  the  best 
order,  and,  by  a  judicious  combination  of 
force  and  stratagem,  gained  a  decisive  victo- 
ry, to  which  the  horses  and  dogs  did  not  a 
little  contribute. 

At  his  return  to  Hispaniola  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  his  brother  Bartholo- 
mew,* whom  he  had  not  seen  for  several 

*  [He  was  a  man  of  great  merit,  whose  deserts  have  been 
overshadowed  by  the  singular  renown  of  the  admiral.  He  was 
a  man  of  hardly  inferior  science,  of  great  experience  as  a  navi- 
gator, prompt,  sagacious,  and  intrepid.  Less  imaginative,  per- 
haps, and  enthusiastic  than  his  brother,  he  had  more  worldly 
wisdom,  and  more  skill  in  ruling  the  turbulent  and  factious  spir- 
its who  tortured  the  more  gentle  temper  of  the  admiral.  Ho 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

years,  and  whom  he  supposed  to  have  been 
dead.  Bartholomew  was  a  man  of  equal 
knowledge,  experience,  bravery,  and  pru- 
dence with  himself.  His  patience  had  en- 
dured a  severe  trial  in  their  long  separation. 
He  had  many  obstacles  to  surmount  before 
he  could  get  to  England  and  obtain  access  to 
the  king.  He  was  at  Paris  when  he  heard 
of  the  success  of  his  brother's  first  enterprise, 
who  had  gone  on  the  second  before  Barthol- 
omew could  get  to  Spain.  On  his  arrival 
there,  and  being  introduced  to  the  court,  he 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  three  ships, 
which  were  destined  to  convey  supplies  to 
the  colony  ;  and  he  arrived  while  Christopher 
was  absent  on  his  voyage  to  Cuba  and  Ja- 
maica. Columbus  appointed  his  brother  to 
command  at  Isabella,  while  he  went  into  the 
interior  part  of  the  island  to  perfect  his  con- 
quest, and  reduce  the  natives  to  subjection 
and  tribute. 

The  Indians  were  so  unused  to  collect 
gold-dust  in  such  quantities  as  their  conquer- 
ors demanded  it,  that  they  offered  to  plant 

was  generous  and  affable,  though  often  abrupt  and  severe  ;  tall, 
muscular,  and  vigorous  in  person,  of  a  grave  and  stern  aspect. 
Patient  in  labour,  cheerful  in  danger,  and  resolute  in  command, 
he  was  as  a  right  hand  to  his  brother.— H.] 


COLUMBUS.  187 

the  immense  plains  of  Hispaniola,  and  pay 
an  equivalent  in  corn.  Columbus  was  struck 
with  the  magnanimity  of  the  proposal,  and, 
in  consequence,  moderated  the  tribute.  This 
did  not  satisfy  the  avarice  of  his  fellow-ad- 
venturers, who  found  means  to  complain  of 
him  to  the  king's  ministers  for  his  negligence 
in  acquiring  the  only  commodity  which  they 
thought  deserved  the  name  of  riches.  The 
Indians  then  desisted  from  planting  their  usu- 
al quantity  of  corn,  and  attempted  to  subsist 
chiefly  on  animal  food.  This  experiment 
proved  injurious  to  themselves  as  well  as  to 
their  conquerors ;  and  it  was  computed  that, 
within  four  years  from  the  first  discovery  of 
the  island,  one  third  part  of  its  inhabitants 
perished. 

The  complaints  against  Columbus  so 
wrought  on  the  jealous  mind  of  King  Ferdi- 
nand, tha-t  John  Aguado,*  who  was  sent,  in 
1495,  with  supplies  to  the  colony,  had  orders 
to  act  as  a  spy  on  his  conduct.  This  man 
behaved  with  so  little  discretion  as  to  seek 
matter  of  accusation,  and  give  out  threats 

*  [A  weak,  vain  man,  who  had  before  received  great  favours 
from  Columbus.     His  commission  was  merely  one  of  inquiry, 
but  he  claimed  the  right  to  interfere  in  and  control  the  affair* 
of  the  colony. — H.] 
I.— P 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

against  the  admiral.  At  the  same  time,  the 
ships  which  he  commanded  being  destroyed 
by  a  hurricane,  he  had  no  means  to  return, 
till  Columbus,  knowing  that  he  had  enemies 
at  home,  and  nothing  to  support  him  but  his 
own  merit,  resolved  to  go  to  Spain  with  two 
caravels  ;  himself  in  one,  and  Aguado  in  the 
other.  Having  appointed  proper  persons  to 
command  the  several  forts — his  brother  Bar- 
tholomew to  superintend  the  whole,  and  his 
brother  James*  to  be  next  in  authority — he 
set  sail  on  the  tenth  of  March,  1496,  and,  af- 
ter a  perilous  and  tedious  voyage  in  the  trop- 
ical latitudes,  arrived  in  Cadiz  on  the  elev- 
enth of  June. 

His  presence  at  court,  with  the  gold  and 
other  valuable  articles  which  he  carried  home, 
removed,  in  some  measure,  the  prejudices 
which  had  been  excited  against  him.  But 
his  enemies,  though  silent,  were  not  idle ; 
and  in  a  court  where  phlegm  and  languor 
proved  a  clog  to  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  they 
found  it  not  difficult  to  obstruct  his  views, 
which,  notwithstanding  all  discouragements, 
were  still  pointed  to  the  discovery  of  a  way 
to  India  by  the  west. 

*  [Better  known  by  his  Spanish  name  Diego.  He  was  far 
inferior  to  his  brotheri  in  talents  and  energy. — H.J 


COLUMBUS.  189 

He  now  demanded  eight  ships  to  carry 
supplies  to  his  colony,  and  six  to  go  on  dis- 
covery. These  demands  were  complied  with, 
and  he  began  his  third  voyage  on  the  thir- 
tieth of  May,  1498.  He  kept  a  course  so  far 
to  the  southward,  that  not  only  his  men,  but 
his  provisions  and  water,  suffered  greatly  from 
excessive  heat.  The  first  land  he  made  after 
leaving  the  Isles  of  Cape  de  Verd  was  a  large 
island  which  he  named  Trinidad,  from  its  ap- 
pearance in  the  form  of  three  mountains. 
He  then  passed  through  a  narrow  strait  and 
whirlpool  into  the  Gulf  of  Paria,  where,  ob- 
serving the  tide  to  be  rapid  and  the  water 
brackish,  he  conjectured  that  the  land  on  the 
western  and  southern  sides  of  the  gulf  was 
part  of  a  continent,  and  that  the  fresh  water 
proceeded  from  some  great  rivers. 

The  people  on  the  coast  of  Paria  were 
whiter  than  those  of  the  islands.  They  had 
about  their  necks  plates  of  gold  and  strings 
of  pearl,  which  they  readily  exchanged  for 
pieces  of  tin  and  brass,  and  little  bells ;  and 
when  they  were  questioned  whence  they  ob- 
tained the  gold  and  pearls,  they  pointed  to 
the  west. 

The  admiral's  provisions  not  allowing  him 
to  stay  long  in  this  place,  he  passed  again 


190  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

through  that  dangerous  strait,  to  which  he 
gave  the  name  of  the  Dragon's  Mouth ;  and 
having  satisfied  himself  that  the  land  on  his 
left  was  a  continent,  he  steered  to  the  N.W., 
discovering  Margarita  and  several  other  isl- 
ands in  his  course ;  and  on  the  thirtieth  of 
August  arrived  at  the  harbour  of  St.  Domin- 
go, in  Hispaniola,  to  which  place  his  brother 
had  removed  the  colony  in  his  absence,  in 
consequence  of  a  plan  preconcerted  between 
them. 

Wearied  with  incessant  care  and  watching 
in  this  dangerous  voyage,  he  hoped  now  to 
enjoy  repose  ;  instead  of  which,  he  found  his 
colony  much  reduced  by  deaths,  many  of  the 
survivers  sick  with  a  disease,  the  peculiar 
consequence  of  their  debauchery,  and  a  large 
number  of  them  in  actual  rebellion.  They 
had  formed  themselves  into  a  body  ;  they  had 
gained  over  many  of  the  Indians,  under  pre- 
tence of  protecting  them  ;  and  they  had  re- 
tired to  a  distant  part  of  the  island,  which 
proved  a  resort  for  the  seditious  and  discon- 
tented. Their  commander  was  Francis  Rol- 
dan,*  who  had  been  chief-justice  of  the  colo- 

*  [Francisco  Roldan  was  one  of  those  vipers,  too  many  of 
which  crossed  the  path  of  Columbus,  who  stung  their  benefactor. 
Columbus  had  raised  him  from  poverty  and  obscurity,  and,  ob- 


COLUMBUS.  191 

ny;  and  their  number  was  so  considerable 
that  Columbus  could  not  command  a  force 
sufficient  to  subdue  them.  He  therefore  en- 
tered into  a  negotiation,  by  offering  a  pardon 
to  those  who  would  submit,  and  liberty  of  re- 
turning to  Spain  to  those  who  desired  it. 
These  offers,  however  impolitic,  proved  suc- 
cessful. Roldan  himself  accepted  them,  and 
persuaded  others  to  do  the  same ;  then,  be- 
ing restored  to  his  office,  he  tried  and  con- 
demned the  refractory,  some  of  whom  were 
put  to  death. 

An  account  of  this  mutiny  was  sent  home 
to  Spain  by  Columbus,  and  another  by  Rol- 
dan. Each  had  his  advocates  at  court,  and 
the  cause  was  heard  by  the  king  and  queen. 
Roldan  and  his  men  were  accused  of  adulte- 
ry, perjury,  robbery,  murder,  and  disturbing 
the  peace  of  the  whole  island  ;  while  Colum- 

serving  his  strong  sense,  had  made  him  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
on  his  own  return  to  Spain  appointed  him  chief-justice  of  the 
colony.  He  had  now  only  to  supplant  Bartholomew  Columbus, 
left  governor  in  his  absence,  to  become  the  chief  man  in  the 
colony  ;  and  such  was  the  meanness  of  his  treacherous  ambi- 
tion, that  he  scrupled  at  no  means  to  gratify  it.  He  conspired 
with  the  dissolute  and  mutinous  to  assassinate  the  governor,  and 
was  prevented  from  doing  it  only  by  an  accident ;  and  having 
been  defeated  in  this  plan,  he  withdrew,  with  his  party  in  a 
formal  opposition  to  the  governiueut,  till  the  return  of  the  ad- 
miral.— H.J 


AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

bus  was  charged  with  cruelty  to  individuals, 
aiming  at  independence,  and  engrossing  the 
tribute.  It  was  insinuated  that,  not  being  a 
native  of  Spain,  he  had  no  proper  respect  for 
the  noble  families  who  had  become  adventu- 
rers, and  that  the  debts  due  to  them  could 
not  be  recovered.  It  was  suggested  that,  if 
some  remedy  were  not  speedily  applied,  there 
was  danger  that  he  would  revolt,  and  join 
with  some  other  prince  ;  and  that,  to  compass 
this  design,  he  had  concealed  the  real  wealth 
of  the  colony,  and  prevented  the  conversion 
of  the  Indians  to  the  Catholic  faith. 

These  insinuations  prevailed  on  the  jeal- 
ousy of  Ferdinand,  and  even  staggered  the 
constancy  of  Isabella.  They  resolved  to  ap- 
point a  judge,  who  should  examine  facts  on 
the  spot ;  and,  if  he  should  find  the  admiral 
guilty,  to  supersede  him.  For  this  purppse 
they  sent  Francis  Bovadilla,*  a  man  of  noble 
rank,  but  whose  poverty  alone  recommended 
him  to  the  office.  Furnished  with  these  pow- 
ers, he  arrived  at  St.  Domingo  when  Colum- 
bus was  absent ;  took  lodgings  in  his  house  \ 

*  ["  Don  Francisco  de  Bobadilla,  an  officer  of  the  royal  house- 
hold, and  a  commander  of  the  military  and  religious  order  of 
Calatrava."  He  is  represented  as  "  needy,  passionate,  and 
ambitious." — Irving,  ii.,  41.  He  arrived  at  San  Domingo  Aug. 
33,  1500.— H.] 


COLUMBUS.  193 

invited  accusers  to  appear  against  him  ;  seiz- 
ed on  his  effects  ;  and  finally  sent  him  and 
both  his  brothers  to  Spain,  in  three  different 
ships,  but  all  loaded  with  irons. 

The  master  of  the  ship  in  which  the  admi- 
ral sailed  had  so  much  respect  for  him,  that, 
when  he  had  got  to  sea,  he  offered  to  take  off 
his  fetters;  but  Columbus  nobly  declared 
that  he  would  permit  that  honour  to  be  done 
him  by  none  but  his  sovereign.  In  this  hu- 
miliating confinement  he  was  delivered  to 
Fonseca,*  bishop  of  Bajados,  who  had  been 
the  chief  instigator  of  all  these  rigorous  pro- 
ceedings, and  to  whom  had  been  committed 
the  affairs  of  the  Indies. 

Not  content  with  robbing  Columbus  of  his 
liberty,  this  prejudiced  ecclesiastic  would  have 
deprived  him  of  his  well-earned  reputation  of 
having  first  discovered  the  new  continent. 
With  the  accusations  which  Columbus  had 

*  [Juan  Rodrigues  de  Fonseca  was  a  man  of  great  abilities, 
but  of  a  selfish  and  intriguing  spirit.  He  was  appointed  super- 
intendent of  Indian  affairs  in  1493,  and  afterward  became  Pa- 
triarch of  the  Indies.  He  was  continued  in  office  under  the 
Emperor  Charles  V.  In  the  use  of  his  power  he  was  treach- 
erous and  malignant ;  and  having,  for  some  slight  cause,  con- 
ceived an  enmity  to  Columbus,  persecuted  him  with  unceasing 
rancour.  His  whole  administration  was  marked  with  acts  of 
meanness  and  perfidy.  He  died  at  Burgos  in  1524. — H.] 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

sent  home  against  Roldan,  he  had  transmitted 
an  account  of  the  discovery  of  the  coast  of 
Paria,  which  he  justly  supposed  to  be  part  of 
a  continent.  Ojeda,*  an  active  officer,  who 
had  sailed  with  Columbus  in  his  second  voy- 
age, was  at  court  when  these  despatches  arri- 
ved, and  saw  the  draught  of  the  discovery, 
with  the  specimens  of  gold  and  pearls,  which 
the  admiral  had  sent  home.  Being  a  favour- 
ite of  Fonseca,  he  easily  obtained  leave  to 
pursue  the  discovery.  Some  merchants  of 
Seville  were  prevailed  upon  to  equip  four 
ships,  with  which,  in  1499,  Ojeda  followed 
the  track  of  Columbus,  and  made  land  on  the 
coast  of  Paria.  Amerigo  Vespucci,  a  Flor- 
entine merchant,  well  skilled  in  geography 
and  navigation,  accompanied  Ojeda  in  this 
voyage  ;  and,  by  publishing  the  first  book  and 
chart  describing  the  new  world,  obtained  the 
honour  of  having  it  called  AMERICA.  This, 
however,  did  not  happen  till  after  the  death 
of  Columbus.  Several  other  adventurers  fol- 
lowed the  same  track,  and  all  supposed  that 
the  continent  which  they  had  seen  was  part 
of  India. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  Columbus 

*  [For  a  brief  notice  of  this  remarkable  man,  see  the  Chron- 
ological Detail,  p.  60. — H.] 


COLUMBUS.  195 

was  arrived  at  Cadiz  (Nov.  5, 1500)  in  the  dis- 
graceful situation  above  mentioned,  the  king 
and  queen,  ashamed  of  the  orders  which  they 
had  given,  commanded  him  to  be  released, 
and  invited  him  to  court,  where  they  apolo- 
gized for  the  misbehaviour  of  their  new  gov- 
ernor, and  not  only  promised  to  recall  him, 
but  to  restore  to  the  admiral  all  his  effects. 
Columbus  could  not  forget  the  ignominy. 
He  preserved  the  fetters,  hung  them  up  in  his 
apartment,  and  ordered  them  to  be  buried  in 
his  grave. 

Instead  of  reinstating  him  in  his  govern- 
ment according  to  the  original  contract,  the 
king  and  queen  sent  Ovando*  to  Hispaniola 
to  supersede  Bovadilla,  and  only  indulged 
Columbus  in  pursuing  his  darling  project,  the 
discovery  of  India  by  the  west,  which  he  still 
hoped  to  accomplish.  He  sailed  again  from 
Cadiz  on  the  fourth  of  May,  1502,  with  four 
vessels,  carrying  one  hundred  and  forty  men 
and  boys,  of  which  number  were  his  broth- 
er Bartholomew  and  his  'son  Ferdinand,  the 
writer  of  his  life. 

*  [Don  Nicholas  de  Ovando,  grand  commander  of  the  Order 
of  Alcantara,  a  man  of  ability  and  prudence,  yet  ambitious. 
He  was  cruel  to  Columbus,  and  guilty  of  the  vilest  treachery 
and  inhumanity  in  his  treatment  of  the  Indians. — H.] 


196  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

In  his  passage  to  the  Caribbee  Islands  he 
found  his  largest  vessel,  of  seventy  tons,  unfit 
for  the  service,  and  therefore  went  to  St.  Do- 
mingo., in  hope  of  exchanging  it  for  a  better, 
and  to  seek  shelter  from  a  storm  which  he 
saw  approaching.  To  his  infinite  surprise 
and  mortification,  Ovando  would  not  admit 
him  into  the  port.  A  fleet  of  thirty  ships  was 
then  ready  to  sail  for  Spain,  on  board  of 
which  Roldan  and  Bovadilla  were  prisoners. 
Columbus  informed  Ovando  of  the  prognos- 
tics which  he  had  observed,  which  Ovando 
disregarded,  and  the  fleet  sailed.  Columbus 
then  laid  three  of  his  vessels  under  the  lee  of 
the  shore,  and  with  grett  difficulty  rode  out 
the  tempest.  His  brother  put  to  sea,  and  by 
his  great  naval  skill  saved  the  ship  in  which 
he  sailed.  Of  the  fleet  bound  to  Spain,  eigh- 
teen ships  were  lost,  and  in  them  perished 
Roldan  and  Bovadilla. 

The  enemies  of  Columbus  gave  out  that  he 
had  raised  this  storm  by  the  art  of  magic  ; 
and  such  was  the  ignorance  of  the  age  that 
the  story  was  believed.  What  contributed 
the  more  to  its  credit  was,  that  one  of  the 
worst  ships  of  the  fleet,  on  board  of  which 
were  all  the  effects  which  had  been  saved  from 
the  ruined  fortune  of  Columbus,  was  the  first 
which  arrived  in  Spain.  The*  amount  of 


COLUMBUS.  197 

these  effects  was  "  four  thousand  pesos  of 
gold,  each  of  the  value  of  eight  shillings." 
The  remark  which  Ferdinando  Columbus 
makes  on  this  event,  so  destructive  to  the  ac- 
cusers of  his  father,  is,  "  I  am  satisfied  it  was 
the  hand  of  GOD,  who  was  pleased  to  infat- 
uate them,  that  they  might  not  hearken  to 
good  advice  ;  for,  had  they  arrived  in  Spain, 
they  had  never  been  punished  as  their  crimes 
deserved,  but  rather  favoured  and  preferred, 
as  being  the  bishop's  friends."* 

After  this  storm,  and  another  which  fol- 
lowed it,  Columbus,  having  collected  his  lit- 
tle squadron,  sailed  on  discovery  towards  the 
continent ;  and,  steering  to  the  southwest, 
came  to  'an  island  called  Guanania,  twelve 
leagues  from  the  coast  of  Honduras,  where 
he  met  with  a  large  covered  canoe,  having  on 
board  several  pieces  of  cotton  clbth  of  divers 
colours,  which  the  people  said  they  had 
brought  from  the  westward.  The  men  were 
armed  with  swords  of  wood,  in  which  sharp 
flints  were  strongly  fixed.  Their  provision 
was  maize  and  roots,  and  they  used  the  ber- 
ries of  cocoa  as  money.  When  the  admiral 
inquired  for  gold,  they  pointed  to  the  west ; 
and  when  he  asked  for  a  strait  by  which  he 

*  Chap.  88. 


198  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

might  pass  through  the  land,  they  pointed  to 
the  east.  From  the  specimens  of  coloured 
cloth,  he  imagined  that  they  had  come  from 
India,  and  he  hoped  to  pass  thither  by  the 
strait  which  they  described.  Pursuing  his 
course  to  the  east  and  south,  he  was  led  to  the 
Gulf  of  Darien,  and  visited  several  harbours, 
among  which  was  one  which  he  called  Porto 
Bello ;  but  he  found  no  passage  extending 
through  the  land.  He  then  returned  to  the 
westward,  and  landed  on  the  coast  of  Vera- 
gua,  where  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the 
country  invited  him  to  begin  a  plantation, 
which  he  called  Belem ;  but  the  natives,  a 
fierce  and  formidable  race,  deprived  him  of 
the  honour  of  first  establishing  a  colony  on 
the  continent,  by  killing  some  of  his  people, 
and  obliging  him  to  retire  with  the  others. 

At  sea  he  met  with  tempestuous  weather 
of  long  continuance,  in  which  his  ships  were 
so  shattered,  that,  with  the  utmost  difficulty, 
he  kept  them  above  water  till  he  ran  them 
ashore  on  the  island  of  Jamaica.  By  his 
extraordinary  address  he  procured  from  the 
natives  tw6  of  their  largest  canoes,  in  which 
two  of  his  most  faithful  friends,  Mendez  and 
Fiesco,  accompanied  by  some  of  his  sailors 
and  a  few  Indians,  embarked  for  Hispaniola. 
After  encountering  the  greatest  difficulties  in 


COLUMBUS.  199 

their  passage,  they  carried  tidings  of  his  mis- 
fortune to  Ovando,  and  solicited  his  aid. 
The  merciless  wretch  detained  them  eight 
months  without  an  answer,  during  which 
time  Columbus  suffered  the  severest  hard- 
ships, from  the  discontent  of  his  company 
and  the  want  of  provisions.  By  the  hospi- 
tality of  the  natives  he  at  first  received  such 
supplies  as  they  were  able  to  spare  ;  but  the 
long  continuance  of  these  guests  had  dimin- 
ished their  store,  and  the  insolence  of  the  mu- 
tineers gave  a  check  to  their  friendship.  In 
this  extremity,  the  fertile  invention  of  Colum- 
bus suggested  an  expedient  which  proved 
successful.  He  knew  that  a  total  eclipse  of 
the  moon  was  at  hand,  which  would  be  visi- 
ble in  the  evening.  On  the  preceding  day  he 
sent  for  the  principal  Indians,  to  speak  with 
them  on  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance. 
Being  assembled,  he  directed  his  interpreter 
to  tell  them  that  the  GOD  of  Heaven,  whom 
he  worshipped,  was  angry  with  them  for  with- 
holding provision  from  him,  and  would  pun- 
ish them  with  famine  and  pestilence  ;  as  a  to- 
ken of  which,  the  moon  would  in  the  even- 
ing appear  of  an  angry  and  bloody  colour. 
Some  of  them  received  his  speech  with  ter 
ror,  and  others  with  indifference  ;  but  when 
the  moon  rose,  and  the  eclipse  increased  as 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

she  advanced  from  the  horizon,  they  came  in 
crowds,  loaded  with  provision,  and  begged  the 
admiral  to  intercede  with  his  GOD  for  the  re- 
moval of  his  anger.  Columbus  retired  to  his 
cabin  ;  and  when  the  eclipse  began  to  go  off, 
he  came  out  and  told  them  that  he  had  pray- 
ed to  his  GOD,  and  had  received  this  answer  : 
that  if  they  would  be  good  for  the  future,  and 
bring  him  provision  as  he  should  want,  God 
would  forgive  them  ;  and,  as  a  token  of  it,  the 
moon  would  put  on  her  usual  brightness. 
They  gave  him  thanks,  and  promised  com- 
pliance ;  and  while  he  remained  on  the  island 
there  was  no  more  want  of  provision. 

At  the  end  of  eight  months  Ovando  sent  a 
small  vessel  to  Jamaica,  with  a  cask  of  wine, 
two  flitches  of  bacon,  and  a  letter  of  compli- 
ment and  excuse,  which  the  officer  deliv- 
ered, and,  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
weighed  his  anchor  the  same  evening  and 
sailed  back  to  Hispaniola.  The  men  who 
adhered  to  Columbus,  and  were  with  him  on 
board  the  wrecks,  wondered  at  the  sudden 
departure  of  the  vessel  by  which  they  ex- 
pected deliverance.  Columbus,  never  at  a 
loss  for  an  evasion,  told  them  that  the  caravel 
was  too  small  to  take  the  whole  company, 
and  he  would  not  go  without  them.  This 
fiction  had  the  desired  effect ;  those  who  ad- 


COLUMBUS.  201 

hered  to  him  resumed  their  patience,  but  the 
mutineers  became  so  insolent  that  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  subdue  them  by  force.  In  the  con- 
test ten  of  them  were  killed.  Porras,  their 
leader,  was  made  prisoner,  and  the  others  es- 
caped. Bartholomew  Columbus  and  two 
others  of  the  admiral's  party  were  wounded, 
of  whom  one  died. 

The  fugitives,  having  lost  their  leader, 
thought  it  best  to  submit ;  and  on  the  next 
day  sent  a  petition  to  the  admiral,  confess- 
ing their  fault,  and  promising  fidelity.  This 
promise  they  confirmed  by  an  oath,  of  which 
the  imprecation  was  singular  ;  "  they  renoun- 
ced, in  case  of  failure,  any  absolution  from 
priest,  bishop,  or  pope  at  the  time  of  their 
death,  and  all  benefit  from  the  sacraments 
of  the  Church,  consenting  to  be  buried  like 
heathens  and  infidels  in  the  open  field." 
The  admiral  received  their  submission,  provi- 
ded that  Porras  should  continue  prisoner,  and 
they  would  accept  a  commander  of  his  ap- 
pointment as  long  as  they  should  remain  on 
the  island. 

At  length  a  vessel,  which  Mendez  had 
been  permitted  to  buy,  with  the  admiral's 
money,  at  Hispaniola,  came  to  Jamaica  and 
took  them  off.  On  their  arrival  at  St.  Do- 
mingo (August  13,  1504)  Ovando  affected 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

great  joy,  and  treated  the  admiral  with  a 
show  of  respect;  but  he  liberated  Porras, 
and  threatened  with  punishment  the  faithful 
adherents  of  Columbus.  As  soon  as  the  ves- 
sel was  refitted,  the  admiral  took  leave  of  his 
treacherous  host,  and,  with  his  brother,  son, 
and  servants,  embarked  for  Spain.  After  a 
long  and  distressing  voyage,  in  which  the 
ship  lost  her  masts,  he  arrived  at  St.  Lucar 
in  May,  1505.* 

His  patroness  Isabella  had  been  dead  about 
a  year,  and  with  her  had  expired  all  the  fa- 
vour which  he  ever  enjoyed  in  the  court  of 
Ferdinand.  Worn  out  with  sickness  and  fa- 
tigue, disgusted  with  the  insincerity  of  his 
sovereign  and  the  haughtiness  of  the  court- 
iers, Columbus  lingered  out  a  year  in  fruit- 
less solicitation  for  his  violated  rights,!  till 
death  relieved  him  from  all  his  vexations. 

*  [His  arrival  was  in  November  7th,  1504. — Irving,  ii.,  183 
-H.] 

t  [So  poor  was  he,  that  he  wrote,  "  If  I  desire  to  eat  or 
sleep,  I  have  no  resort  but  an  inn,  and  for  the  most  times 
have  not  wherewithal  to  pay  my  bill."  Yet  most  earnestly  of 
all  did  he  claim  the  restoration  of  his  honours  and  titles,  and  the 
perpetuation  of  them  in  his  family.  "  These  things,"  said  he, 
"  affect  my  honour."  He  claimed  only  bare  justice,  the  perform- 
ance of  promises  long  ago  sealed  with  the  royal  seal.  The 
warm  heart  of  Isabella  had  ceased  to  beat,  and  Ferdinand 
could  courteously  evade  what  he  intended  to  deny. — H.] 


COLUMBUS.  203 

He  died  at  Valladolid  on  the  twentieth  of 
May,  1506,  in  the  59th  year  of  his  age,*  and 
was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  of  Seville,t  with 
this  inscription  on  his  tomb : 

A  Castillo,  y  a  Leon, 
Nuevo  Mundo  dio  Colon. 

Translated  thus : 

To  Castile  and  Leon 
Columbus  gave  a  new  World. 

In  the  life  of  this  remarkable  man  there 
is  no  deficiency  of  any  quality  which  can 
constitute  a  truly  great  character.^:  His  ge- 
nius was  penetrating  and  his  judgment  solid. 
He  had  acquired  as  much  knowledge  of  the 
sciences  as  could  be  obtained  at  that  day, 
and  he  corrected  what  he  had  learned  by  his 

*  [More  truly,  according  to  Mr.  Irving,  "  about  seventy 
years  of  age." — H.] 

t  ["  His  remains,  first  deposited  in  the  convent  of  St.  Francis 
at  Valladolid,  were,  six  years  later,  removed  to  the  Carthusian 
monastery  of  Las  Cuevas  at  Seville.  From  this  spot  his  body 
was  transported,  in  the  year  1536,  to  the  island  of  St.  Domingo, 
the  proper  theatre  of  his  discoveries ;  and,  on  the  cession  of  that 
island  to  the  French  in  1795,  was  again  removed  to  Cuba,  where 
his  ashes  now  quietly  repose  in  the  cathedral  church  of  its 
capital." — PrescotCs  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  Hi.,  241,  242. — 
H.] 

t  Some  of  these  observations  are  taken  from  Dr.  Campbell's 
account  of  European  settlements  in  America,  vol.  i.,  chap.  viii. 
[See  also  Prescott's  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  ii.,  115,  note.— 

HO 

I—Q 


204  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

own  observations.  His  constancy  and  pa- 
tience were  equal  to  the  most  hazardous  un- 
dertakings. His  fortitude  surmounted  many 
difficulties,  and  his  invention  extricated  him 
out  of  many  perplexities.  His  prudence  en- 
abled him  to  conceal  or  subdue  his  own  in- 
firmities, while  he  took  advantage  of  the  pas- 
sions of  others,  adjusting  his  behaviour  to  his 
circumstances ;  -temporizing  or  acting  with 
vigour,  as  the  occasion  required.* 

*  ["  A  peculiar  trait  in  his  rich  and  varied  character,"  says 
Mr.  Irving,  "  was  that  ardent  and  enthusiastic  imagination, 
which  threw  a  magnificence  over  his  whole  course  of  thought. 
Herrera  intimates  that  he  had  a  talent  for  poetry,  and  some 
slight  traces  of  it  are  on  record,  in  the  book  of  prophecies 
which  he  presented  to  the  Catholic  sovereigns.  But  his  poet- 
ical temperament  is  discernible  throughout  all  his  writings  and 
in  all  his  actions.  It  spread  a  golden  and  glorious  world 
around  him,  and  tinged  everything  with  its  own  gorgeous  col- 
ours. It  betrayed  him  into  visionary  speculations.  It  exalted 
his  office  in  his  eyes,  and  made  him  conceive  himself  an  agent 
sent  forth  upon  a  sublime  and  awful  mission,  subject  to  impulses 
and  supernatural  intimations  from  the  Deity."  Closely  con- 
nected with  this  quality  was  one  which  we  might  not  expect  to 
find  in  a  hardy  seaman,  and  which  yet  was  strong  in  him,  a  clear 
perception  and  hearty  love  of  the  beauties  of  nature  ;  a  quality 
which  everywhere  discloses  itself  in  his  simple  narrative  of  the 
novel  beauties  of  the  New  World. 

We  cannot  omit  to  speak  of  his  self-reliance.  He  trusted  in 
the  truth  of  his  own  convictions,  when  he  trusted  in  them  alone. 
He  frankly  and  boldly  avowed  them,  when  the  avowal  cost  him 
at  once  scorn  and  neglect.  He  held  them  fast  when  the  wise 
men  of  his  day  had  deliberately  scouted  them.  They  were  his 


COLUMBUS.  205 

His  fidelity  to  the  ungrateful  prince  whom 
he  served,  and  whose  dominions  he  enlarged, 
must  render  him  forever  conspicuous  as  an 
example  of  justice  ;  and  his  attachment  to 
the  queen,  by  whose  influence  he  was  raised 
and  supported,  will  always  be  a  monument 
of  his  gratitude. 

To  his  other  excellent  qualities  may  be 
added  his  piety.*  He  always  entertained, 

treasure  in  the  deepest  poverty,  and  his  hope  when  princes  had 
despised  and  friends  had  forsaken  him.  They  bore  him  up  in 
every  privation  and  distress,  and  made  the  simple  mariner  elo- 
quent in  the  halls  of  the  learned  and  the  courts  of  kings ;  and 
yet  he  had  no  adequate,  not  even  a  true  apprehension  of  the  val- 
ue of  those  great  truths  to  which  he  clung  so  steadfastly. 

Columbus  was  an  ambitious  man,  yet  with  an  honourable 
ambition.  He  sought  not  so  much  wealth  as  honour ;  aad  that 
not  merely  of  scientific  discovery,  but  of  social  rank,  and  not 
for  himself  only,  but  for  his  posterity.  He  would  gain  a  place 
among  the  proud  nobles  of  Spain  which  none  of  them  should 
despise,  and  a  title  which  should  always  point  to  his  own  mer- 
its as  the  source  of  his  greatness.  In  his  will  he  ordered  that 
his  heir  should  write  for  his  signature  only  "  The  Admiral,"  what- 
ever other  titles  the  king  might  confer  on  him. 

That  he  had  faults  need  not  be  denied.  That  he  sympathized 
with  many  erroneous  opinions  and  practices  of  his  age  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at.  But  there  was  in  him  nothing  sordid,  mean,  or 
revengeful.  His  faults  were  rather  weaknesses  ;  too  much  pa- 
tience, too  much  forbearance  with  his  enemies,  too  high-minded 
a  confidence  in  the  power  of  innocence  and  in  the  honour  of 
princes.  He  was  impetuous,  but  not  rash ;  sensitive,  but  not 
passionate ;  deeply  wronged,  and  forgiving  like  a  Christian.- -H.j 

*  [The  oeculiar  character  of  his  piety  cannot  be  better  de- 


206  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

and  on  proper  occasions  expressed,  a  rever- 
ence for  the  Deity,  and  a  firm  confidence  in 
his  care  and  protection.  In  his  declining 
days  the  consolations  of  religion  were  his 
chief  support ;  and  his  last  words  were,  "  Into 
thy  hands,  O  Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit." 

The  persecution  and  injustice  which  he 
suffered  may  be  traced  up  to  the  contract 
which  he  insisted  on  before  he  engaged  in 
the  plan  of  discovery.  That  a  foreigner 
should  attain  so  high  a  rank  as  to  be  viceroy 
for  life,  and  that  the  honour  of  an  admiral 

scribed  than  it  has  been  by  Mr.  Irving.  "  He  was  devoutly  pi- 
ous ;  religion  mingled  with  the  whole  course  of  his  thoughts 
and  actions,  and  shone  forth  in  all  his  most  private  and  unstudied 
writings.  Whenever  he  made  any  great  discovery,  he  celebra- 
ted it  by  solemn  thanks  to  God.  The  voice  of  prayer  and 
the  melody  of  praise  rose  from  his  ships  when  they  first  beheld 
the  New  World,  and  his  first  action  upon  landing  was  to  pros- 
trate himself  upon  the  earth,  and  render  up  thanksgivings.  Ev- 
ery evening  the  Salve  Regina  and  other  vesper  hymns  were 
chanted  by  his  crew,  and  masses  celebrated  in  the  beautiful 
groves  that  bordered  the  wild  shores  of  this  heathen  land.  His 
language  was  pure  and  guarded,  free  from  all  oaths,  impreca- 
tions, and  other  irreverent  expressions.  All  his  great  enterpri- 
ses were  undertaken  '  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity.'  He 
observed  the  festivals  of  the  Church  in  the  wildest  situations. 
The  Sabbath  was  with  him  a  day  of  rest,  on  which  he  would 
never  set  sail  from  a  port  unless  in  a  case  of  extreme  necessity. 
He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  efficacy  of  vows,  and  penances,  and 
pilgrimages,  and  resorted  to  them  in  times  of  difficulty  and  dan- 
ger."—H.]  ^'* 


COLUMBUS.  207 

should  be  hereditary  in  his  family,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  the  nobles  of  Spain,  was  more 
than  their  pride  and  jealousy  could  endure  ; 
and  they  constantly  endeavoured  to  depre- 
ciate his  merit,  the  only  foundation  on  which 
his  honours  were  erected. 

There  is  a  story  recorded  by  Peter  Mar- 
tyr,* a  contemporary  historian,  which  exem- 
plifies their  malice,  and  his  ingenuity  in  rising 
superior  to  it.  After  the  death  of  the  queen, t 
the  nobility  affected  to  insinuate  that  his  dis- 
coveries were  more  the  result  of  accident 
and  good  fortune  than  of  any  well-concerted 
measures.  One  day,  at  a  public  dinner,  Co- 
lumbus having  borne  much  insulting  raillery 
on  that  head,  at  length  called  for  an  egg,  and 
asked  whether  any  of  them  could  set  it  up- 

*  [Peter  Martyr  was  born  at  Anghiera,  near  Milan,  Feb.  2d, 
1455.  Having  become  eminent  for  his  learning,  he  was  invited 
by  Isabella  to  educate  the  young  nobles  in  her  service,  and  was 
sent  by  Ferdinand,  in  1501,  as  his  ambassador  to  Venice  and  to 
Egypt.  He  was  afterward  appointed  a  minister  of  the  council 
of  the  Indies.  He  wrote  the  "  Decades  of  the  New  World"  (De 
Orbe  Novo),  an  account  of  the  discoveries  made  there  ;  a  work 
of  peculiar  value.  He  had  ample  and  authentic  materials  for  the 
purpose,  and  gained  much  information  from  Columbus  himself. 
He  died  at  Valladolid  in  1626.— H.] 

1  [In  Mr.  Irving's  history  this  anecdote  is  told  as  having  oc- 
curred soon  after  Columbus's  first  voyage  and  before  the  sec- 
ond, and,  of  course,  some  time  before  the  death  of  the  queen, 
who  died  Nov.  26.,  1504.— H.] 


208  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

right  on  its  little  end.  They  all  confessed  it 
to  be  impossible.  Columbus,  striking  it  gen- 
tly, flatted  the  shell  till  it  stood  upright  on 
the  table.  The  company,  with  a  disdainful 
sneer,  cried  out,  "  Anybody  might  have  done 
it."  "  Yes,"  said  Columbus,  "  but  none  of 
you  thought  of  it ;  so  I  discovered  the  Indies, 
and  now  every  pilot  can  steer  the  same 
course.  Many  things  appear  easy  when  once 
performed,  though  before  they  were  thought 
impossible.  Remember  the  scoffs  that  were 
thrown  at  me  before  I  put  my  design  into 
execution.  Then  it  was  a  dream,  a  chimera, 
a  delusion  ;  now  it  is  what  anybody  might 
have  done  as  well  as  I."  When  this  story 
was  told  to  Ferdinand,  he  could  not  but  ad- 
mire the  grandeur  of  that  spirit,  which  at  the 
same  time  he  was  endeavouring  to  depress. 

Writers  of  different  countries  have  treated 
the  character  of  Columbus  according  to  their 
prejudices,  either  national  or  personal.  It  is 
surprising  to  observe  how  these  prejudices 
have  descended,  and  that,  even  at  the  distance 
of  three  centuries,  there  are  some  who  affect 
to  deny  him  the  virtues  for  which  he  was  con- 
spicuous, and  the  merit  of  originating  a  dis- 
covery which  is  an  honour  to  human  reason. 
His  humanity  has  been  called  in  question 


COLUMBUS.  209 

because  he  carried  dogs  to  the  West  Indies, 
and  employed  them  in  extirpating  the  natives. 
The  truth  is,  that  in  his  second  expedition  he 
was  accompanied  by  a  number  of  gentlemen 
of  the  best  families  in  Spain,  and  many  more 
would  have  gone  if  it  had  been  possible  to 
accommodate  them.  These  gentlemen  car- 
ried with  them  "  horses,  asses,  and  other 
beasts,  which  were  of  great  use  in  a  new 
plantation."  The  conflict  which  Columbus 
}ad  with  the  natives  was  in  consequence  of 
the  disorderly  conduct  of  these  Spaniards, 
who,  in  his  absence,  had  taken  their  goods, 
abused  their  women,  and  committed  other 
outrages,  which  the  Indians  could  not  endure, 
and  therefore  made  war  upon  them.  In  this 
war  he  found  his  colony  engaged  when  he 
returned  from  his  voyage  to  Cuba,  and  there 
was  no  way  to  end  it  but  by  pursuing  it  with 
vigour.  With  two  hundred  Spaniards,  of 
whom  twenty  were  mounted  on  "  horses,  fol- 
lowed by  as  many  dogs,"  he  encountered  a  nu- 
merous body  of  Indians,  estimated  at  one  hun- 
dred thousand,  on  a  large  plain.  He  divided 
his  men  into  two  parties,  and  attacked  them 
on  two  sides ;  the  noise  of  the  firearms  soon 
dispersed  them,  and  the  horses  and  dogs  pre- 
vented them  from  rallying ;  and  thus  a  com- 


210  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

plete  victory  was  obtained.  In  this  instance 
alone  were  the  dogs  used  against  the  natives. 
They  naturally  followed-  their  masters  into 
the  field,  and  the  horses  to  which  they  were 
accustomed  ;  but  to  suppose  that  Columbus 
transported  them  to  the  West  Indies  with  a 
view  to  destroy  the  Indians,  appears  altogeth- 
er idle  when  it  is  considered  that  the  number 
is  reckoned  only  at  twenty.  Excepting  in 
this  instance,  where  he  was  driven  by  neces- 
sity, there  is  no  evidence  that  he  made  war 
on  the  natives  of  the  West  Indies  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  endeavoured  as  far  as  possible  to 
treat  them  with  justice  and  gentleness.  The 
same  cannot  be  said  of  those  who  succeeded 
him. 

Attempts  have  also  been  made  to  detract 
from  his  merit  as  an  original  discoverer  of  the 
New  World.  The  most  successful  candidate 
who  has  been  set  up  as  a  rival  to  him  is  MAR- 
TIN BEHAIM,*  of  Nuremberg,  in  Germany. 
His  claim  to  a  prior  discovery  has  been  so 

*  [He  was  born  about  1430,  was  in  early  life  a  merchant,  and 
came  to  Portugal  about  1481.  He  accompanied  Cam,  in  the 
voyages  mentioned  below,  as  journalist  and  cosmographer.  The 
date  of  his  death  is  not  certain,  though  it  was  later  than  1506. 
He  has  the  credit  of  first  applying  the  astrolabe  to  the  uses  of 
navigation,  an  instrument  from  which,  with  some  modification, 
has  been  derived  the  modern  quadrant.— H.] 


COLUMBUS.  211 

well  contested,  ajid  the  vanity  of  it  so  fully 
exposed  by  the  late  Dr.  Robertson,  that  I 
should  not  have  thought  of  adding  anything 
to  what  he  has  written,  had  not  a  memoir  ap- 
peared in  the  second  volume  of  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  American  Philosophical  Society* 
at  Philadelphia,  in  which  the  pretensions  of 
Behaim  are  revived  by  M.  OTTO,  who  has 
produced  some  authorities  which  he  had  ob- 
tained from  Nuremberg,  an  imperial  city  of 
Germany,  and  which  appear  to  him  "  to 
establish  in  the  clearest  manner  a  discovery 
of  America  anterior  to  that  of  Columbus." 

It  is  conceded  that  Behaim  was  a  man  of 
learning  and  enterprise  ;  that  he  was  contem- 
porary with  Columbus,  and  was  his  friend ; 
that  he  pursued  the  same  studies  and  drew 
the  same  conclusions  ;  that  he  was  employed 
by  King  John  II.  in  making  discoveries,  and 
that  he  met  with  deserved  honour  for  the  im- 
portant services  which  he  rendered  to  the 
crown  of  Portugal.  But  there  are  such  diffi- 
culties attending  the  story  of  his  discovering 
America  as  appear  to  me  insuperable.  These 
I  shall  state,  together  with  some  remarks  on 
the  authorities  produced  by  M.  Otto. 

The  first  of  his  authorities  contains  several 

*  No.  35,  p.  263. 
1— R 


212  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY 

assertions  which  are  contradicted  by  other 
histories  :*  1.  That  Isabella,  daughter  of 
John,  king  of  Portugal,  reigned  after  the 
death  of  Philip,  duke  of  Burgundy,  surnamed 
the  Good.  2.  That  to  this  lady,  when  re- 
gent of  the  duchy  of  Burgundy  and  Flan- 
ders, Behaim  paid  a  visit  in  1459.  And,  3. 
That,  having  informed  her  of  his  designs,  he 
procured  a  vessel,  in  which  he  made  the  dis- 
covery of  the  island  of  Fayal  in  1460. 

It  is  true  that  Philip,  duke  of  Burgundy 
and  Flanders,  surnamed  the  Good,  married 
Isabella,  the  daughter  of  John  L,  king  of 
Portugal ;  but  Philip  did  not  die  till  1467, 
and  was  immediately  succeeded  by  his  son 
Charles,  surnamed  the  Bold,  then  thirty-four 
years  of  age.  There  could  therefore  have 
been  no  interregnum  nor  female  regent  after 
the  death  of  Philip  ;  and,  if  there  had  been, 
the  time  of  Behaim's  visit  will  not  correspond 
with  it,  that  being  placed  in  1459,  eight  years 
before  the  death  of  Philip.  Such  a  mistake, 
in  point  of  fact  and  of  chronology,  is  suffi- 
cient to  induce  a  suspicion  that  the  "  archives 
of  Nuremberg"  are  too  deficient  in  accuracy 
to  be  depended  on  as  authorities. 

*  Memoirs  of  Philip  de  Comines.  Mezeray's  and  Henault'i 
History  of  France.  Collier's  Dictionary. 


COLUMBUS.  213 

With  respect  to  the  discovery  of  Fayal  in 
1460,  M.  Otto  acknowledges  that  it  is  "  con- 
trary to  the  received  opinion  ;"  and  well  he 
might ;  for  the  first  of  the  Azores,  St.  Maria, 
was  discovered  in  1431 ;  the  second,  St.  Mi- 
chael, in  1444;  the  third,  Terceira,  in  1445 ; 
and  before  1449,  the  islands  St.  George,  Gra- 
ciosa,  Fayal,  and  Pico  were  known  to  the 
Portuguese.*  However  true  it  may  be  that 
Behaim  settled  in  the  island  of  Fayal,  and 
lived  there  twenty  years,  yet  his  claim  to  the 
discovery  of  it  must  have  a  better  foundation 
than  the  "  archives  of  Nuremberg"  before  it 
can  be  admitted. 

The  genuine  account  of  the  settlement  of 
Fayal,  and  the  interest  which  Behaim  had  in 
it,  is  thus  related  by  Dr.  Forster,  a  German 
author  of  much  learning  and  good  credit. 

"  After  the  death  of  the  infant  Don  Henry 
[which  happened  in  1463],  the  island  of  Fayal 
was  made  a  present  of  by  [his  sister]  Isabella, 
duchess  of  Burgundy,  to  Jobst  von  Hurter,  a 
native  of  Nuremberg.  Hurter  went  in  1466, 
with  a  colony  of  more  than  200(5  Flemings  of 
both  sexes,  to  his  property,  the  isle  of  Fayal. 
The  duchess  had  provided  the  Flemish  emi- 

*  Forster's  History  of  Voyages  and  Discoveries,  p.  256,  257, 
Dublin  edition 


214  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

grants  with  all  necessaries  for  two  years,  and 
the  colony  soon  increased.  About  the  year 
1486  Martin  Behaim  married  a  daughter  of 
the  Chevalier  Jobst  von  Hurter,  and  had  a 
son  by  her  named  Martin.  Jobst  von  Hur- 
ter and  Martin  Behaim,  both  natives  of  Nu- 
remberg, were  lords  of  Fayal  and  Pico."* 

The  date  of  the  supposed  discovery  of 
America  by  Behaim  is  placed  by  M.  Otto  in 
1484,  eight  years  before  the  celebrated  voy- 
age of  Columbus.  In  the  same  year  we  are 
toldt  that  Alonzo  Sanchez  de  Huelva  was 
driven  by  a  storm  to  the  westward  for  twen- 
ty-nine days,  and  saw  an  island,  of  which,  at 
his  return,  he  gave  information  to  Columbus. 
From  both  these  supposed  discoveries  this 
conclusion  is  drawn,  "  that  Columbus  would 
never  have  thought  of  this  expedition  to 
America  had  not  Behaim  gone  there  before 
him."  Whether  it  be  supposed  that  Behaim 
and  Sanchez  sailed  in  the  same  ship,  or  that 
they  made  a  discovery  of  two  different  parts 
of  America  in  the  same  year,  it  is  not  easy 
to  understand  from  the  authorities  produced  ; 
but  what  destroys  the  credibility  of  this  plau- 

*  Forster's  History  of  Voyages  and  Discoveries,  p.  257-259. 
t  Garcilasso  de  la  Vega's  Commentaries — Preface.     Pur- 
chas,  vol.  T.,  p.  1454 


COLUMBUS.  215 

sible  tale  is,  that  Columbus  had  formed  his 
theory  and  projected  his  voyage  at  least  ten 
years  before,  as  appears  by  his  correspond- 
ence with  Paul,  a  learned  physician  of  Flor- 
ence, which  bears  date  in  1474.*  It  is  un- 
certain at  what  time  Columbus  first  made  his 
application  to  the  King  of  Portugal  to  fit  him 
out  for  a  Western  voyage,  but  it  is  certain 
that,  after  a  negotiation  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  after  he  had  found  out  the  secret 
and  unsuccessful  attempt  which  had  been 
made  to  anticipate  a  discovery,  he  quitted 
that  kingdom  in  disgust,  and  went  into  Spain 
in  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1484.  The  au- 
thority of  these  facts  is  unquestioned ;  and 
from  them  it  fully  appears  that  a  prior  dis- 
covery of  America  by  Behaim  or  Sanchez, 
made  in  1484,  could  not  have  been  the  found- 
ation of  the  enterprise  of  Columbus. 

M.  Otto  speaks  of  letters  written  by  Be- 
haim in  1486,  in  the  German  language,  and 
preserved  in  the  "  archives  of  Nuremberg," 
which  support  this  claim  to  a  prior  discovery. 
As  these  letters  are  not  produced,  no  certain 
opinion  can  be  formed  concerning  them ;  but, 
from  the  date  of  the  letters,  and  from  the 
voyages  which  Behaim  actually  performed  in 
*  Life,  ch.  viii. 


216  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY 

the  two  preceding  years,  we  may,  with  great 
probability,  suppose  that  they  related  to  the 
discovery  of  Congo,  in  Africa,  to  which  Be- 
haim  has  an  uncontroverted  claim. 

I  will  now  state  the  facts  relative  to  this 
event,  partly  from  the  authorities  cited  by  M. 
Otto,  and  partly  from  others. 

Dr.  Robertson  places  the  discovery  of  Con- 
go and  Benin  in  1483,  and  with  him  Dr. 
Forster  agrees.  The  authors  of  the  modern 
Universal  History*  speak  of  two  voyages  to 
that  coast,  the  first  in  1484,  the  second  in 
1485,  both  of  which  were  made  by  Diego 
Cam,t  who  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the 
most  expert  sailors,  and  of  an  enterprising 
genius.  From  the  chronicle  of  Hartman 
Schedl,  as  quoted  by  M.  Otto,  we  are  inform- 
ed that  Behaim  sailed  with  Cam  in  these  voy- 
ages, which  are  described  in  the  following 
terms  :  "  These  two,  by  the  bounty  of  Heav- 
en, coasting  along  the  Southern  Ocean,  and, 
having  crossed  the  equator,  got  into  the  other 
hemisphere,  where,  facing  to  the  eastward, 
their  shadows  projected  towards  the  south, 

*  Vol.  xvi.,  p.  133,  135. 

t  Diego  is  the  Spanish  name  of  James,  in  Latin  Jacobus,  and 
in  Portuguese  Jago.  Cam  is  in  Latin  Camus  or  Canus,  and 
in  Spanish  Cano  ;  these  different  names  are  found  in  different 
authors. 


COLUMBUS.  217 

and  right  hand."  No  words  could  be  more 
completely  descriptive  of  a  voyage  from  Por- 
tugal to  Congo,  as  any  person  may  be  satis- 
fied by  inspecting  a  map  of  Africa  ;  but  how 
could  M.  Otto  imagine  that  the  discovery  of 
America  was  accomplished  in  such  a  voyage 
as  this  ?  "  Having  finished  this  cruise,"  con- 
tinues Schedl,  "  in  the  space  of  twenty-six 
months,  they  returned  to  Portugal  with  the 
loss  of  many  of  their  seamen  by  the  violence 
of  the  climate."  This  latter  circumstance 
also  agrees  very  well  with  the  climate  of  the 
African  coast;*  but  Schedl  says  not  a  word 
of  the  discovery  of  America. 

M.  Otto  goes  on  to  tell  us  "  that  the  most 
positive  proof  of  the  great  services  rendered 
to  the  crown  of  Portugal  by  Behaim  is  the 
recompense  bestowed  on  him  by  King  John 
II.,  who,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  knight- 
ed him  in  the  presence  of  all  his  court." 
Then  follows  a  particular  detail  of  the  cere- 
mony of  installation.,  as  performed  on  the  18th 
of  February,  1485  ;  and  M.  Otto  fairly  owns 
that  this  was  "  a  reward  for  the  discovery  of 
Congo."  Now  let  us  bring  the  detached 
parts  of  the  story  together. 

Behaim  was  knighted  on  the  18th  of  Feb- 
*  Sec  Brookes's  Gazetteer,  Benin. 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ruary,  1485,  for  the  discovery  of  Congo,  in 
which  he  had  been  employed  twenty-six 
months  preceding,  having  within  that  time 
made  two  voyages  thither  in  company  with 
Diego  Cam.  It  will  follow,  then,  that  the 
whole  of  the  preceding  years,  1484  and  1483, 
were  taken  up  in  these  two  voyages.  This 
agrees  very  well  with  the  accounts  of  the 
discovery  of  Congo  in  Robertson  and  Forster, 
and  does  not  disagree  with  the  modern  Uni- 
versal History,  a&  far  as  the  year  1484  is  con- 
cerned ;  which,  unfortunately,  is  the  year  as- 
signed for  Benaim's  discovery  of  "  that  part 
of  America  called  Brazil,  and  his  sailing  even 
to  the  Straits  of  Magellan." 

The  only  thing  in  M.  Otto's  memoir  which 
bears  any  resemblance  to  a  solution  of  this 
difficulty  is  this.  "We  may  suppose  that 
Behaim,  engaged  in  an  expedition  to  Congo, 
was  driven  by  the  winds  to  Fernambuco,  and 
from  thence  by  the  currents  towards  the  coast 
of  Guiana."  But  suppositions  without  proof 
will  avail  little,  and  suppositions  against  proof 
will  avail  nothing.  The  two  voyages  to  Con- 
go are  admitted.  The  course  is  described, 
and  the  time  is  determined ;  and  both  these 
are  directly  opposed  to  the  supposition  of  his 
being  driven  by  winds  and  currents  to  Amer- 


COLUMBUS.  219 

ica.  For,  if  he  had  been  driven  out  of  his 
course,  and  had  spent  "  several  years  in  ex- 
amining the  American  islands,  and  discover- 
ing the  strait  which  bears  the  name  of  Ma- 
gellan," and  if  one  of  those  years  was  the 
year  1484,  then  he  could  not  have  spent 
twenty-six  months  preceding  February,  1485, 
in  the  discovery  of  Congo ;  but  of  this  we 
have  full  and  satisfactory  evidence  ;  the  dis- 
covery of  America,  therefore,  must  be  given 
up. 

There  is  one  thing  farther  in  this  memoir 
which  deserves  a  particular  remark,  and  that 
is  the  reason  assigned  by  M.  Otto,  for  which 
the  King  of  Portugal  declined  the  proposal 
of  Columbus  to  sail  to  India  by  the  West. 
"  The  refusal  of  John  II.  is  a  proof  of  the 
knowledge  which  that  politic  prince  had  al- 
ready procured  of  the  existence  of  a  new 
Continent,  which  offered  him  only  barren 
lands  inhabited  by  unconquerable  savages." 
This  knowledge  is  supposed  to  have  been  de- 
rived from  the  discoveries  made  by  Behaim. 
But,  not  to  urge  again  the  chronological  dif- 
ficulty with  which  this  conjecture  is  embar 
rassed,  I  will  take  notice  of  two  circumstan- 
ces in  the  life  of  Columbus  which  militate 
with  this  idea.  The  first  is,  that  when  Co- 


220 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


lumbus  had  proposed  a  Western  voyage  to 
King  John,  and  he  declined  it,  "  The  king, 
by  the  advice  of  one  Doctor  Calzadilla,  re- 
solved to  send  a  caravel  privately  to  attempt 
that  which  Columbus  had  proposed  to  him ; 
because,  in  case  those  countries  were  so  dis- 
covered, he  thought  himself  not  obliged  to 
bestow  any  great  reward.  Having  speedily 
equipped  a  caravel,  which'  was  to  carry  sup- 
plies to  the  islands  of  Cabb  Verde,  he  sent  it 
that  way  which  the  admiral  proposed  to  go. 
But  those  whom  he  sent  wanted  the  knowl- 
edge, constancy,  and  spirit  of  the  admiral. 
After  wandering  many  days  upon  the  sea, 
they  turned  back  to  the  islands  of  Cabo 
Verde,  laughing  at  the  undertaking,  and  say- 
ing it  was  impossible  there  should  be  any  land 
in  those  seas."* 

Afterward  "the  king,  being  sensible  how 
faulty  they  were  whom  he  had  sent  with  the 
caravel,  had  a  mind  to  restore  the  admiral  to 
his  favour,  and  desired  that  he  should  renew 
the  discourse  of  his  enterprise  ;  but,  not  being 
so  diligent  to  put  this  in  execution  as  the  ad- 
miral was  in  getting  away,  he  lost  that  good 
opportunity;  the  admiral,  about  the  end  of 
the  year  1484,  stole  away  privately  out  of 

*  Life  of  Columbus,  ch.  xi. 


COLUMBUS.  221 

Portugal  for  fear  of  being  stopped  by  the 
king."  This  account  does  not  agree  with 
the  supposition  of  a  prior  discovery. 

The  other  circumstance  is  an  interview 
which  Columbus  had  with  the  people  of  Lis- 
bon and  the  King  of  Portugal  on  his  return 
from  his  first  voyage.  For  it  so  happened 
that  Columbus,  on  his  return,  was  by  stress 
of  weather  obliged  to  take  shelter  in  the  port 
of  Lisbon  ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that 
he  had  come  from  the  Indies,  "  the  people 
thronged  to  see  the  natives  whom  he  had 
brought  and  hear  the  news,  so  that  the  cara- 
vel would  not  contain  them :  some  of  them 
praising  God  for  so  great  a  happiness,  oth- 
ers storming  that  they  had  lost  the  discovery 
through  their  king's  incredulity." 

When  the  king  sent  for  Columbus  "  he  was 
doubtful  what  to  do ;  but,  to  take  off  all  sus- 
picion that  he  came  from  his  conquests,  he 
consented."  At  the  interview  "  the  king  of- 
fered him  all  that  he  stood  in  need  of  for  the 
service  of  their  Catholic  majesties,  though  he 
thought  that,  forasmuch  as  he  had  been  a  cap- 
tain in  Portugal,  that  conquest  belonged  to 
him.  To  which  the  admiral  answered  that 
he  knew  of  no  such  agreement,  and  that  he 
had  strictly  observed  his  orders,  which  were 


222  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

not  to  go  to  the  mines  of  Portugal  [the  Gold 
Coast],  nor  to  Guinea."*  Had  John  II.  heard 
of  Behaim's  voyage  to  a  Western  Continent, 
would  he  not  have  claimed  it  by  priority  of 
discovery  rather  than  by  the  commission 
which  Columbus  had  formerly  borne  in  his 
service  ?  Had  such  a  prior  discovery  been 
made,  could  it  have  been  concealed  from  the 
people  of  Lisbon  ?  And  would  they  have 
been  angry  that  their  king  had  lost  it  by  his 
incredulity  ?  These  circumstances  appear  to 
me  to  carry  sufficient  evidence  that  no  discov- 
ery of  America  pridr  to  that  of  Columbus  had 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  King  of  Portu- 
gal. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "  Why  are  we 
searching  the  archives  of  an  imperial  city  for 
the  causes  of  an  event  which  took  place  in 
the  western  extremity  of  Europe  ?"  M.  Otto 
gives  us  to  understand  that,  "  from  the  four- 
teenth to  the  sixteenth  centuries,  the  Germans 
were  the  best  geographers,  the  best  histori- 
ans, and  the  most  enlightened  politicians." 
Not  to  detract  from  the  merit  of  the  German 
literati  of  those  ages,  I  think  we  may  give 
equal  credit  to  a  learned  German  author  of 
the  present  age,  Dr.  John  Reinhold  Forster, 

*  Life,  ch.  xli. 


COLUMBUS.  223 

who  appears  to  have  a  thorough  understand- 
ing of  the  claims,  not  only  of  his  own  coun- 
trymen, but  of  others.  In  his  indefatigable 
researches  into  the  discoveries  which  have 
been  made  by  all  nations,  though  he  has  given 
due  credit  to  the  adventures  of  Behaim  in 
Congo  and  Fayal,  yet  he  has  not  said  one 
word  of  his  visiting  America,  which  he  cer- 
tainly would  have  done  if,  in  his  opinion,  there 
had  been  any  foundation  for  it. 

LETTERS  FROM  PAUL,  A  PHYSICIAN  OF  FLOR- 
ENCE, TO  CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS,  CONCERN- 
ING THE  DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA. 

LETTER  I. 

To  Christopher  Columbus,  Paul  the  Physician  wisheth  health. 

I  PERCEIVE  your  noble  and  earnest  desire  to 
sail  to  those  parts  where  the  spice  is  produ- 
ced, and  therefore,  in  answer  to  a  letter  of 
yours,  I  send  you  another  letter,  which  some 
days  since  I  wrote  to  a  friend  of  mine  and 
servant  to  the  King  of  Portugal,  before  the 
wars  of  Castile,  in  answer  to  another  he 
wrote  to  me,  by  his  highness's  order,  upon 
this  same  account ;  and  I  send  you  another 
sea  chart  like  that  I  sent  him,  which  will  sat- 
isfy your  demands.  The  copy  of  the  letter  is 
this : 


224  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

To  Ferdinand,  Martinez,  Canon  of  Lisbon,  Paul  the  Physician 

wisheth  health. 

I  am  very  glad  to  hear  of  the  familiarity 
you  have  with  your  most  serene  and  magnif- 
icent king ;  and  though  I  have  very  often 
discoursed  concerning  the  short  way  there  is 
from  hence  to  the  Indies,  where  the  spice  is 
produced,  by  sea,  which  I  look  upon  to  be 
shorter  than  that  you  take  by  the  coast  of 
Guinea,  yet  you  now  tell  me  that  his  high- 
ness would  have  me  make  out  and  demon- 
strate it,  so  as  it  may  be  understood  and  put 
in  practice.  Therefore,  though  I  could  bet- 
ter show  it  him  with  a  globe  in  my  hand,  and 
make  him  sensible  of  the  figure  of  the  world, 
yet  I  have  resolved,  to  render  it  more  easy 
and  intelligible,  to  show  this  way  upon  a 
chart,  such  as  are  used  in  navigation,  and 
therefore  I  send  one  to  his  majesty,  made 
and  drawn  with  my  own  hand,  wherein  is  set 
down  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  west,  from 
Ireland  in  the  north  to  the  farthest  part  of 
Guinea,  with  all  the  islands  that  lie  in  the 
way.  Opposite  to  which  western  coast  is  de- 
scribed the  beginning  of  the  Indies,  with  the 
islands  and  places  whither  you  may  go,  and 
how  far  you  may  bend  from  the  north  pole  to- 
wards the  equinoctial,  and  for  how  long  a 


COLUMBUS.  225 

time  ;  that  is,  how  many  leagues  you  may 
sail  before  you  come  to  those  places  most 
fruitful  in  all  sorts  of  spice,  jewels,  and  pre- 
cious stones.  Do  not  wonder  if  I  term  that 
country  where  the  spice  grows  west,  that  pro- 
duct being  generally  ascribed  to  the  east ; 
because  those  who  shall  sail  westward  will  al- 
ways find  those  places  in  the  west,  and  they 
that  travel  by  land  eastward  will  ever  find 
those  places  in  the  east.  The  straight  lines 
that  lie  lengthways  in  the  chart  show  the  dis- 
tance there  is  from  west  to  east ;  the  others 
cross  them,  show  the  distance  from  north  to 
south.  I  have  also  marked  down  in  the  said 
chart  several  places  in  India  where  ships 
might  put  in  upon  any  storm,  or  contrary 
winds,  or  any  other  accident  unforeseen. 

Moreover,  to  give  you  full  information  of 
all  those  places  which  you  are  very  desirous 
to  know,  you  must  understand  that  none  but 
traders  live  or  reside  in  all  those  islands,  and 
that  there  is  as  great  number  of  ships  and 
seafaring  people  with  merchandise  as  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world,  particularly  in  a 
most  noble  port  called  Zacton,  where  there 
are  every  year  a  hundred  large  ships  of  pep- 
per loaded  and  unloaded,  besides  many  other 
ships  that  take  in  other  spice. 

This  country  is  mighty  populous,  and 


226  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

are  many  provinces  and  kingdoms,  and  innu- 
merable cities  under  the  dominion  of  a  prince 
called  the  kham,  which  name  signifies  king 
of  kings,  who  for  the  most  part  resides  in  the 
Province  of  Cathay.  His  predecessors  were 
very  desirous  to  have  commerce  and  be  in 
amity  with  Christians,  and  200  years  since 
sent  ambassadors  to  the  pope,  desiring  him 
to  send  them  many  learned  men  and  doctors 
to  teach  them  our  faith ;  but,  by  reason  of 
some  obstacles  the  ambassadors  met  with, 
they  returned  back  without  coming  to  Rome. 
Besides,  there  came  an  ambassador  to  Pope 
Eugenius  IV.,  who  told  him  the  great  friend- 
ship there  was  between  those  princes,  their 
people,  and  the  Christians.  I  discoursed 
with  him  a  long  while  upon  the  several  mat- 
ters of  the  grandeur  of  their  royal  structures, 
and  of  the  greatness,  length,  and  breadth  of 
their  rivers.  He  told  me  many  wonderful 
things  of  the  multitude  of  towns  and  cities 
founded  along  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  and 
that  there  were  200  cities  upon  one  river 
only,  with  marble  bridges  over  it  of  a  great 
length  and  breadth,  and  adorned  with  abun- 
dance of  pillars.  This  country  deserves  as 
well  as  any  other  to  be  discovered  ;  and  there 
may  not  only  be  great  profit  made  there,  and 
many  things  of  value  found,  but  also  gold, 


COLUMBUS.  227 

silver,  all  sorts  of  precious  stones,  and  spices 
in  abundance,  which  are  not  brought  into  our 
parts.  And  it  is  certain  that  many  wise  men, 
philosophers,  astrologers,  and  other  persons 
skilled  in  all  arts,  and  very  ingenious,  govern 
that  mighty  province,  and  command  their  ar- 
mies. 

From  Lisbon  directly  westward  there  are 
in  the  chart  26  spaces,  each  of  which  contains 
250  miles,  to  the  most  noble  and  vast  city  of 
Quisay,  which  is  100  miles  in  compass,  that 
is,  35  leagues ;  in  it  there  are  ten  marble 
bridges.  The  name  signifies  a  heavenly  city, 
of  which  wonderful  things  are  reported  as  to 
the  ingenuity  of  the  people,  the  buildings,  and 
the  revenues.  This  space  above  mentioned 
is  almost  the  third  part  of  the  globe.  This 
city  is  in  the  province  of  Mango,  bordering 
on  that  of  Cathay,  where  the  king  for  the 
most  part  resides. 

From  the  island  Antilla,  which  you  call 
the  Seven  Cities,  and  of  which  you  have  some 
knowledge,  to  the  most  noble  island  of  Cipan- 
g-0,  are  ten  spaces,  which  make  2500  miles,  or 
225  leagues  ;  which  island  abounds  in  gold, 
pearls,  and  precious  stones ;  and  you  must 
understand,  they  cover  their  temples  and  pal- 
aces with  plates  of  pure  gold :  so  that,  for  want 

I.— S 


228  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

of  knowing  the  way,  all  these  things  are  hid- 
den and  concealed,  and  yet  may  be  gone  to 
with  safety. 

Much  more  might  be  said  ;  but,  having  told 
you  what  is  most  material,  and  you  being 
wise  and  judicious,  I  am  satisfied  there  is  no- 
thing of  it  but  what  you  understand,  and 
therefore  I  will  not  be  more  prolix.  Thus 
much  may  serve  to  satisfy  your  curiosity,  it 
being  as  much  as  the  shortness  of  time  and 
my  business  would  permit  me  to  say.  So  I 
remain  most  ready  to  satisfy  and  serve  his 
highness  to  the  utmost,  in  all  the  commands 
he  shall  lay  upon  me. 

Florence,  June  25,  1474. 

LETTER  II. 

To  Christopher  Columbus,  Paul  the  Physician  wisheth  heattfl. 

I  received  your  letters  with  the  things  you 
sent  me,  which  I  shall  take  as  a  great  favour, 
and  commend  your  noble  and  ardent  desire 
of  sailing  from  east  to  west,  as  it  is  marked 
out  in  the  chart  I  sent  you,  which  would  de- 
monstrate itself  better  in  the  form  of  a  globe. 

I  am  glad  it  is  well  understood,  and  that 
the  voyage  laid  down  is  not  only  possible,  but 
true,  certain,  honourable,  very  advantageous, 
and  most  glorious  among  all  Christians.  Yor 


•       COLUMBUS. 

cannot  be  perfect  in  the  knowledge  of  it  but 
by  experience  and  practice,  as  I  have  had  in 
great  measure,  and  by  the  solid  and  true  in- 
formation of  worthy  and  wise  men,  who  have 
come  from  those  parts  to  this  court  of  Rome  ; 
and  from  merchants  who  have  traded  long  in 
those  parts,  and  are  persons  of  good  reputa- 
tion. So  that,  when  the  said  voyage  is  per- 
formed, it  will  be  to  powerful  kingdoms,  and 
to  the  most  noble  cities  and  provinces,  rich 
and  abounding  in  all  things  we  stand  in  need 
of,  particularly  in  all  sorts  of  spice  in  great 
quantities,  and  store  of  jewels. 

This  will,  moreover,  be  grateful  to  those 
kings  and  princes  who  are  very  desirous  to 
converse  and  trade  with  Christians  of  these 
our  countries,  whether  it  be  for  some  of  them 
to  become  Christians,  or  else  to  have  commu- 
nication with  the  wise  and  ingenious  men  of 
these  parts,  as  well  in  point  of  religion  as  in 
all  sciences,  because  of  the  extraordinary  ac- 
count they  have  of  the  kingdoms  and  govern- 
ment of  these  parts.  For  which  reasons,  and 
many  more  that  might  be  alleged,  I  do  not  at 
all  admire  that  you,  who  have  a  great  heart, 
and  all  the  Portuguese  nation,  which  has  ever 
had  notable  men  in  all  undertakings,  be  ea- 
gerly bent  upon  performing  this  voyage. 


230  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


V.  JAMES  CARTIER. 

THOUGH  the  English  did  not  prosecute  the 
discovery  made  by  the  Cabots,  nor  avail 
themselves  of  the  only  advantages  which  it 
could  have  afforded  them,  yet  their  neighbours 
of  Brittany,*  Normandy,  and  Biscay  wisely 
pursued  the  track  of  those  adventurers,  and 
took  vast  quantities  of  cod  on  the  banks  of 
Newfoundland. 

In  1524,  John  Verazzani,f  a  Florentine  in 
the  service  of  France,  ranged  the  coast  of  the 
new  continent  from  Florida  to  Newfound- 
land, and  gave  it  the  name  of  New  France. 
In  a  subsequent  voyage  he  was  cut  to  pieces 
and  devoured  by  the  savages. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  three  great  Euro- 
pean kingdoms,  Spain,  England,  and  France, 
made  use  of  three  Italians  to  conduct  their 
discoveries :  Columbus,  a  Genoese  ;  Cabot, 
a  Venetian  ;$  and  Verazzani,  a  Florentine. 

*  It  is  supposed  that  the  island  of  Cape  Breton  took  its  name 
Irom  the  Bretons,  the  fishermen  of  Brittany. 

t  [For  a  brief  notice  of  Verazanni,  see  Chronological  Detail. 
-H.] 

t  [Cabot,  though  of  Venetian  extraction,  was  born  in  Bris- 
tol, England.— H.] 


C  ARTIER.  231 

This  is  a  proof  that  among  the  Italians  there 
were  at  that  time  persons  of  superior  maritime 
knowledge  to  the  other  nations  of  Europe ; 
though  the  penurious  spirit  of  those  repub- 
lics, their  mutual  jealousy  and  petty  wars, 
made  them  overlook  the  benefits  resulting 
from  extensive  enterprises,  and  leave  the  vast 
regions  of  the  New  World  to  be  occupied  by 
others. 

The  voyages  of  Verazzani  having  produced 
no  addition  to  the  revenue  of  France,  all 
farther  attempts  to  perfect  his  discoveries 
were  laid  aside  ;  but  the  fishery  being  found 
conducive  to  the  commercial  interest,  it  was 
at  length  conceived  that  a  plantation  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  banks  might  be  advan- 
tageous. This  being  represented  to  King 
Francis  I.  by  Chabot  the  admiral,  JAMES 
C  ARTIER,  *J  of  St.  Malo,  was  commissioned  to 
explore  the  country,  with  a  view  to  find  a 
place  for  a  colony. $ 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1534,  he  sailed  from 
St.  Malo  with  two  ships  of  sixty  tons  and 
122  men,  and  on  the  10th  of  May  came  in 
sight  of  Bonavista,  on  the  island  of  New- 

*  His  name  is  sometimes  written  Quartier. 

t  [The  French,  of  course,  write  the  baptismal  name  Jacques. 
He  was  a  native  of  St.  Malo,  and  an  able  and  experienced  pilot. 
-H.] 

t  Forster's  Northern  Voyages,  p.  437. 


232          "     AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


foundland.  But  the  ice  which  lay  along  the 
shore  obliged  him  to  go  southward,  and  he 
entered  a  harbour  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  St.  Catharine,*  where  he  waited  for  fair 
weather  and  fitted  his  boats. 

As  soon  as  the  season  would  permit,t  he 
sailed  northward,  and  examined  several  har- 
bours and  islands  on  the  coast  of  New- 
foundland, in  one  of  which  he  found  such  a 
quantity  of  birds  that  in  half  an  hour  two 
boats  were  loaded  with  them,  and,  after  they 
had  eaten  as  many  as  they  could,  five  or  six 
barrels  full  were  salted  for  each  ship.  This 
place  was  called  Bird  Island. 

Having  passed  Cape  de  Grat,  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  land,  he  entered  the  Straits 
of  Bellisle,  and  visited  several  harbours  on 
the  opposite  coast  of  Labrador,  one  of  which 
he  called  Cartier's  Sound.  The  harbour  is 
described  as  one  of  the  best  in  the  world, 
but  the  land  is  stigmatized  as  the  place  to 
which  Cain  was  banished,  no  vegetation  be- 
ing produced  among  the  rocks  but  thorns  and 
moss.  Yet,  bad  as  it  was,  there  were  inhab- 
itants in  it,  who  lived  by  catching  seals,  and 
seemed  to  be  a  wandering  tribe.t 

*  Called  in  some  maps  Catalina. 

t  [May  21st.— Hakluyt,  vol.  iii.,  p.  202. — H.J 

J  Hakluyt,  vol.  iii.,  p.  201-211 


C  A.RTIER.  »         233 

In  circumnavigating  the  great  island  of 
Newfoundland,  they  found  the  weather  in 
general  cold ;  but  when  they  had  crossed  the 
gulf  in  a  southwesterly  direction  to  the  conti- 
nent, they  came  into  a  deep  bay,  where  the 
climate  was  so  warm  that  they  named  it  Baye 
de  Chaleur,  or  the  Bay  of  Heat.  Here  were 
several  kinds  of  wild  berries,  roses,  and 
meadows  of  grass.  In  the  fresh  waters  they 
caught  salmon  in  great  plenty. 

Having  searched  in  vain  for  a  passage 
through  the  bay,  they  quitted  it,  and  sailed 
along  the  coast  eastward,  till  they  came  to 
the  smaller  bay  of  Gaspe,  where  they  sought 
shelter  from  a  tempest,  and  were  detained 
twelve  days  in  the  month  of  July.  In  this 
place  Cartier  performed  the  ceremony  of  taJ» 
king  possession  for  the  King  of  France.  A 
cross  of  thirty  feet  high  was  erected  on  a 
point  of  land.  On  this  cross  was  suspended 
a  shield,  with  the  arms  of  France  and  the 
words  Vive  le  Roy  de  France.  Before  it  the 
people  kneeled  uncovered,  with  their  hands 
extended  and  their  eyes  lifted  towards  heav- 
en. The  natives  who  were  present  beheld 
the  ceremony  at  first  with  silent  admiration, 
but  after  a  while,  an  old  man,  clad  in  a 
bear's  skin,  made  signs  to  them  that  the  land 


234        '      AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

was  his,  and  that  they  should  not  have  it 
without  his  leave.  They  then  informed  him 
by  signs  that  the  cross  was  intended  only  as 
a  mark  of  direction,  by  which  they  might 
again  find  the  port,  and  they  promised  to  re- 
turn the  next  year,  and  to  bring  iron  and  oth- 
er commodities. 

They  thought  it  proper,  however,  to  con- 
ciliate the  old  man's  good-will  by  entertain- 
ing him  on  board  the  ship  and  making  him 
several  presents,  by  which  means  they  so 
prevailed  on  him  that  he  permitted  Cartier  to 
carry  two  of  his  sons,  young  men,  to  France, 
on  the  security  of  a  promise  that  he  would 
bring  them  back  at  his  return  the  next  spring. 

From  Gaspe  he  sailed  so  far  into  the  Great 
River,  afterward  called  St.  Lawrence,  as  to 
discover  land  on  the  opposite  side ;  but  the 
weather  being  boisterous,  and  the  current 
setting  against  him,  he  thought  it  best  to  re- 
turn to  Newfoundland,  and  then  to  France, 
where  he  arrived  safe  in  the  harbour  of  St. 
Malo  on  the  fifth  of  September. 

The  discoveries  made  in  this  voyage  exci- 
ted farther  curiosity ;  and  the  Vice-admiral 
Melleraye*  represented  Cartier's  merits  to 

*  [Hakluyt,  Hi.,  201,  calls  him  "  Sir  Charles  do  Mouy,  knight,, 
lorde  of  Melleraye,"  &c. — H.] 


C  A  R  T  I  E  K.  '          235 

the  king  so  favourably  as  to  procure  for  him 
a  more  ample  equipment.  Three  ships,  one 
of  120,  one  of  60,  and  one  of  40  tons,  were 
destined  to  perform  another  voyage  in  the  en- 
suing spring  ;  and  several  young  men  of  dis» 
tinction  entered  as  volunteers,  to  seek  adven- 
tures in  the  New  World.  When  they  were 
ready  to  sail,  the  whole  company,  after  the 
example  of  Columbus,  went  in  procession  to 
church  on  Whitsunday,  where  the  Bishop  of 
St.  Malo  pronounced  his  blessing  on  them. 
They  sailed  on  the  19th  of  May,  1535.  Meet- 
ing with  tempestuous  weather,  the  ships  were 
separated,  and  did  not  join  again  till  Cartier, 
in  the  largest  ship,  arrived  at  Bird  Island,* 
where  he  again  filled  his  boats  with  fowls, 
and  on  the  26th  of  July  was  joined  by  the 
other  vessels. 

From  Bird  Island  they  pursued  the  same 
course  as  in  the  preceding  summer ;  and  hav- 
ing cojne  into  the  gulf  on  the  western  side  of 
Newfoundland,  gave  it  the  name  of  St.  Law- 
rence. Here  they  saw  abundance  of  whales. 
Passing  between  the  island  of  Assumption 
(since  called  Anticostif)  and  the  northern 

*  [July  7th.— H.] 

t  [Called  by  the  natives  Natiscotie,  whence  the  presen* 
name.— Forster,  439. — H.] 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

shore,  they  sailed  up  the  great  river  till  they 
came  to  a  branch  on  the  northern  side,  which 
the  young  natives  who  were  on  board  called 
Saguenay  ;  the  main  river,  they  told  him, 
would  carry  him  to  Hochelaga,  the  capital  of 
the  whole  country. 

After  spending  some  time  in  exploring  the 
northern  coast  to  find  an  opening  to  the 
northward,  in  the  beginning  of  September 
he  sailed  up  the  river,  and  discovered  several 
islands,  one  of  which,  from  the  multitude  of 
filberts,  he  called  Coudres  ;  and  another,  from 
the  vast  quantity  of  grapes,  he  named  Bac- 
chus (now  Orleans).  This  island  was  full  of 
inhabitants,  who  subsisted  by  fishing. 

When  the  ships  had  come  to  anchor  be- 
tween the  N.W.  side  of  the  island  and  the 
main,  Cartier  went  on  shore  with  his  two 
young  savages.  The  people  of  the  country 
were  at  first  afraid  of  them ;  but,  hearing  the 
youths  speak  to  them  in  their  own  language, 
they  became  sociable,  and  brought  eels  and 
other  fish,  with  a  quantity  of  Indian  corn  in 
ears,  for  the  refreshment  of  their  new  guests, 
in  return  for  which  they  were  presented  with 
such  European  baubles  as  were  pleasing  to 
them. 

The  next  day,  Donacona,  the  prince  of  the 


C  A  R  T  I  E  R.  237 

place,  came  to  visit  them,  attended  by  twelve 
boats ;  but,  keeping  ten  of  them  at  a  distance, 
he  approached  with  two  only,  containing  six- 
teen men.  In  the  true  spirit  of  hospitality, 
he  made  a  speech,  accompanied  with  signifi- 
cant gestures,  welcoming  the  French  to  his 
country,  and  offering  his  service  to  them. 
The  young  savages  Taignoagni  and  Doma- 
gaia  answered  him,  reporting  all  which  they 
had  seen  in  France,  at  which  he  appeared 
to  be  pleased.  Then  approaching  the  cap- 
tain, who  held  out  his  hand,  he  kissed  it,  and 
laid  it  round  his  own  neck,  in  token  of  friend- 
ship. Cartier,  on  his  part,  entertained  Dona- 
cona  with  bread  and  wine,  and  they  parted 
mutually  pleased. 

The  next  day  Cartier  went  up  in  his  boat 
to  find  a  harbour  for  his  ships,  the  season 
being  so  far  advanced  that  it  became  neces- 
sary to  secure  them.  At  the  west  end  of  the 
Isle  of  Bacchus  he  found  "  a  goodly  and 
pleasant  sound,  where  is  a  little  river  and 
haven,  about  three  fathoms  deep  at  high  wa- 
ter." To  this  he  gave  the  name  of  St.  Croix, 
and  determined  there  to  lay  up  his  ships. 

Near  this  place  was  a  village  called  Stada- 
cona,  of  which  Donacona  was  the  lord.  It 
was  environed  with  forest-trees,  some  of  which 


238  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

bore  fruit ;  and  under  the  trees  was  a  growth 
of  wild  hemp.  As  Cartier  was  returning  to 
his  ships,  he  had  another  specimen  of  the 
hospitable  manners  of  the  natives.  A  com- 
pany of  people,  of  both  sexes,  met  him  on 
the  shore  of  the  little  river,  singing  and  dan- 
cing up  to  their  knees  in  water.  In  return 
for  their  courtesy,  he  gave  them  knives  and 
beads,  and  they  continued  their  music  till  he 
was  beyond  hearing  it. 

When  Cartier  had  brought  his  ships  to  the 
harbour  and  secured  them,  he  intimated  his 
intention  to  pass  in  his  boats  up  the  river  to 
Hochelaga.  Donacona  was  loth  to  part  with 
him,  and  invented  several  artifices  to  prevent 
his  going  thither.  Among  others,  he  contri- 
ved to  dress  three  of  his  men  in  black  and 
white  skins,  with  horns  on  their  heads,  and 
their  faces  besmeared  with  coal,  to  make  them 
resemble  infernal  spirits.  They  were  put  into 
a  canoe  and  passed  by  the  ships,  brandishing 
their  horns  and  making  an  unintelligible  ha- 
rangue. Donacona,  with  his  people,  pursued 
and  took  them,  on  which  they  fell  down  as 
if  dead.  They  were  carried  ashore  into  the 
woods,  and  all  the  savages  followed  them. 
A  long  discourse  ensued,  and  the  conclusion 
of  the  farce  was,  that  these  demons  had 


C  A  R  T  I  E  R.  239 

brought  news  from  the  god  of  Hochelaga, 
that  his  country  was  so  full  of  snow  and  ice 
that  whoever  should  adventure  thither  would 
perish  with  the  cold.  The  artifice  afforded 
diversion  to  the  French,  but  was  too  thin  to 
deceive  them.  Cartier  determined  to  pro- 
ceed ;  and  on  the  19th  of  September,  with 
his  pinnace  and  two  boats,  began  his  voyage 
up  the  river  to  Hochelaga. 

Among  the  woods  on  the  margin  of  the 
river  were  many  vines  loaded  with  ripe 
grapes,  than  which  nothing  could  be  a  more 
welcome  sight  to  Frenchmen,  though  the 
fruit  was  not  so  delicious  as  they  had  been 
used  to  taste  in  their  own  country.  Along 
the  banks  were  many  huts  of  the  natives, 
who  made  signs  of  joy  as  they  passed,  pre- 
sented them  with  fish,  piloted  them  through 
narrow  channels,  carried  them  ashore  on  their 
backs,  and  helped  them  to  get  off  their  boats 
when  aground.  Some  presented  their  chil- 
dren to  them,  and  such  as  were  of  proper  age 
were  accepted. 

The  water  at  that  time  of  the  year  being 
low,  their  passage  was  rendered  difficult ; 
but,  by  the  friendly  assistance  of  the  natives, 
they  surmounted  the  obstructions.  On  the 
28th  of  September  they  passed  the  rapids 


240  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

between  the  islands  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
Lake  Arigouleme  (now  called  St.  Peters),  and 
on  the  second  of  October  they  arrived  at  the 
Island  of  Hochelaga,  where  they  had  been 
expected,  and  preparations  were  made  to  give 
them  a  welcome  reception.  About  a  thou- 
sand persons  came  to  meet  them,  singing  and 
dancing,  the  men  on  one  side,  the  women  on 
the  other,  and  the  children  in  a  distinct  body. 
Presents  offish  and  other  victuals  were  brought, 
and  in  return  were  given  knives,  beads,  and 
other  trinkets.  The  Frenchmen  lodged  the 
first  night  in  their  boats,  and  the  natives  watch- 
ed on  the  shore,  dancing  round  their  fires  du- 
ring the  whole  night. 

The  next  morning  Cartier,  with  twenty-five 
of  his  company,  went  to  visit  the  town,  and 
were  met  on  the  way  by  a  person  of  distinc- 
tion, who  bade  them  welcome.  To  him  they 
gave  two  hatchets  and  two  knives,  and  hung 
over  his  neck  a  cross,  which  they  taught  him  to 
kiss.  As  they  proceeded  they  passed  through 
groves  of  oak,  from  which  the  acorns  were 
fallen  and  lay  thick  on  the  ground.  Aftei 
this  they  came  to  fields  of  ripe  corn,  some  of 
which  was  gathered.  In  the  midst  of  these 
fields  was  situate  the  town  of  Hochelaga. 

It  was  of  a  round  form,  encompassed  with 


CAR  TIER.  241 

three  lines  of  palisades,  through  which  was 
one  entrance,  well  secured  with  stakes  and 
bars.  On  the  inside  was  a  rampart  of  timber, 
to  which  were  ascents  by  ladders,  and  heaps 
of  stones  were  laid  in  proper  places  for  de- 
fence. In  the  town  were  about  fifty  long 
huts,  built  with  stakes  and  covered  with  bark. 
In  the  middle  of  each  hut  was  a  fire,  round 
which  were  lodging-places,  floored  with  bark 
and  covered  with  skins.  In  the  upper  part 
was  a  scaffold,  on  which  they  dried  and  pre- 
served their  corn.  To  prepare  it  for  eating, 
they  pounded  it  in  wooden  mortars,  and, 
having  mixed  it  with  water,  baked  it  on  hot 
stones.  Besides  corn  they  had  beans,  squash- 
es, and  pumpkins.*  They  dried  their  fish 
and  preserved  them  in  troughs.  These  peo- 
ple lived  chiefly  by  tillage  and  fishing,  and 
seldom  went  far  from  home.  Those  on  the 
lower  parts  of  the  river  were  more  given  to 
hunting,  and  considered  the  Lord  of  Hoche- 
laga  as  their  sovereign,  to  whom  they  paid 
tribute. 

When  the  new  guests  were  conducted  to 
an  open  square  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  the 
females  came  to  them,  rubbing  their  hands 

*  [Or,  as  the  narrative  in  Hakluyt,  iii.,  220,  has  it,  "musk*- 
millions  and  very  great  cowcumbers  " — H.J 


242  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

and  faces,  weeping  with  joy  at  their  arrival, 
and  bringing  their  children  to  be  touched  by 
the  strangers.  They  spread  mats  for  them 
on  the  ground,  while  the  men  seated  them- 
selves in  a  large  circle  on  the  outside.  The 
king  was  then  brought  in  a  litter,  on  the 
shoulders  of  ten  men,  and  placed  on  a  mat 
next  to  the  French  captain.  He  was  about 
fifty  years  old,  and  had  no  mark  of  distinc- 
tion but  a  coronet  made  of  porcupine's  quills 
dyed  red,  which  he  took  off  and  gave  to  the 
captain,  requesting  him  to  rub  his  arms  and 
legs,  which  were  trembling  with  a  palsy. 
Several  persons,  blind,  lame,  and  withered 
with  age,  were  also  brought  to  be  touched, 
as  if  they  supposed  that  their  new  guests 
were  messengers  from  Heaven  invested  with 
a  power  of  healing  diseases.  Cartier  grati- 
fied them  as  well  as  he  could,  by  laying  his 
hands  on  them  and  repeating  some  devotion- 
al passages  from  a  service-book  which  he  had 
in  his  pocket,  accompanying  his  ejaculations 
with  significant  gestures,  and  lifting  up  his 
eyes  to  heaven.  The  natives  attentively  ob- 
served and  imitated  all  his  motions. 

Having  performed  this  ceremony,  he  desi- 
red all  the  men,  women,  and  children  to  ar- 
range themselves  in  separate  bodies.  To  the 


C  A  R  T  I  E  R.  243 

men  he  gave  hatchets,  to  the  women  beads, 
and  to  the  children  rings.  He  then  ordered 
his  drums  and  trumpets  to  sound,  which 
highly  pleased  the  company  and  set  them  to 
dancing. 

Being  desirous  of  ascending  the  hill,  under 
which  the  town  was  built,  the  natives  con- 
ducted them  to  the  summit,  where  they  were 
entertained  with  a  most  extensive  and  beau- 
tiful prospect  of  mountains,  woods,  islands, 
and  waters.  They  observed  the  course  of 
the  river  above,  and  some  falls  of  water  in  it ; 
and  the  natives  informed  them  that  they  might 
sail  on  it  for  three  months  ;  that  it  ran  through 
two  or  three  great  lakes,  beyond  which  was 
a  sea  of  fresh  water,  to  which  they  knew  of 
no  bounds,  and  that  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains  there  was  another  river  which  ran 
in  a  contrary  direction  to  the  southwest, 
through  a  country  full  of  delicious  fruits,  and 
free  from  snow  and  ice  ;  that  there  was  found 
such  metal  as  the  captain's  silver  whistle  and 
the  haft  of  a  dagger  belonging  to  one  of  the 
company,  which  was  gilt  with  gold.  Being 
shown  some  copper,  they  pointed  to  the  north- 
ward, and  said  it  came  from  Saguenay.  To 
this  hill  Cartier  gave  the  name  of  Montreal^ 

which  it  has  ever  since  retained. 
I.— T 


244  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

The  visit  being  finished,  the  natives  accom- 
panied the  French  to  their  boats,  carrying 
such  as  were  weary  on  their  shoulders.  They 
were  loth  to  part  with  their  guests,  and  fol- 
lowed them  along  the  shore  of  the  river  to  a 
considerable  distance. 

On  the  fourth  of  October  Cartier  and  his 
company  departed  from  Hochelaga.  In  pass- 
ing down  the  river  they  erected  a  cross  on 
the  point  of  an  island  which,  with  three  oth- 
ers, lay  in  the  mouth  of  a  shallow  river,  on 
the  north  side,  called  Fouetz.  On  the  elev- 
enth they  arrived  at  the  Port  de  St.  Croix, 
and  found  that  their  companions  had  enclosed 
the  ships  with  a  palisade  and  rampart,  on 
which  they  had  mounted  cannon. 

The  next  day  Donacona  invited  them  to 
his  residence,  where  they  were  entertained 
with  the  usual  festivity  and  made  the  custom- 
ary presents.  They  observed  that  these  peo- 
ple used  the  leaves  of  an  herb  [tobacco],  which 
they  preserved  in  pouches  made  of  skins  and 
smoked  in  stone  pipes.  It  was  very  offensive 
to  the  French,*  but  the  natives  valued  it  as 

*  [The  use  of  this  weed  was  a  matter  of  great  astonishment, 
as  well  as  disgust,  to  the  French.  The  writer  of  Cartier's  voy- 
age says,  "  they  sucke  so  long  that  they  fill  their  bodies  full  of 
smoke,  till  that  it  commeth  out  of  their  mouth  and  nostrils,  even 
as  out  of  the  tunnel  of  a  chimney." — H.] 


C  A  R  T  I  £  R.  245 

contributing  much  to  the  preservation  of  their 
health.  Their  houses  appeared  to  be  well 
supplied  with  provisions.  Among  other  things 
which  were  new  to  the  French,  they  observ- 
ed the  scalps  of  five  men  spread  and  dried 
like  parchment.  These  were  taken  from  their 
enemies  the  Toudamani,  who  came  from  the 
south,  and  were  continually  at  war  with  them. 

Being  determined  to  spend  the  winter 
among  these  friendly  people,  they  traded  with 
them  for  the  provisions  which  they  could 
spare,  and  the  river  supplied  them  with  fish 
till  it  was  hard  frozen. 

In  December  the  scurvy  began  to  make  its 
appearance  among  the  natives,  and  Cartier 
prohibited  all  intercourse  Avith  them ;  but  it 
was  not  long  before  his  own  men  were  taken 
with  it.  It  raged  with  uncontrolled  violence 
for  above  two  months,  and  by  the  middle  of 
February,  out  of  one  hundred  and  ten  per- 
sons, fifty  were  sick  at  once,  and  eight  or  ten 
had  died. 

In  this  extremity  Cartier  appointed  a  day 
of  solemn  humiliation  and  prayer.  A  cruci- 
fix was  placed  on  a  tree,  and  as  many  as  were 
able  to  walk  went  in  procession,  through  the 
ice  and  snow,  singing  the  seven  penitential 
Psalms,  and  performing  other  devotional  ex- 


246  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ercises.  At  the  close  of  the  solemnity  Cartier 
made  a  vow  that,  "  if  it  would  please  God  to 
permit  him  to  return  to  France,  he  would  go 
in  pilgrimage  to  our  Lady  of  E/oquemado." 
But  it  was  necessary  to  watch  as  well  as  pray. 
To  prevent  the  natives  from  knowing  their 
weak  and  defenceless  state,  he  obliged  all 
who  were  able  to  make  as  much  noise  as 
possible  with  axes  and  hammers ;  and  told 
the  natives  that  his  men  were  all  busily  em- 
ployed, and  that  he  would  not  suifer  any  of 
them  to  go  from  the  ships  till  their  work  was 
done.  The  ships  were  fast  frozen  up  from 
the  middle  of  November  to  the  middle  of 
March ;  the  snow  was  four  feet  deep,  and 
higher  than  the  sides  of  the  ships  above  the 
ice.  The  severity  of  the  winter  exceeded  all 
which  they  had  ever  experienced  ;  the  scurvy 
still  raged  ;  twenty-five  men  had  fallen  vic- 
tims to  it,  and  the  others  were  so  weak  and 
low  in  spirits  that  they  despaired  of  ever  see- 
ing their  native  country. 

In  the  depth  of  this  distress  and  desponden- 
cy, Cartier,  who  had  escaped  the  disease,  in 
walking  one  day  on  the  ice  met  some  of  the 
natives,  among  whom  was  Domagaia,  one  of 
the  young  men  who  had  been  with  him  to 
France,  and  who  then  resided  with  his  coun- 


C  A  R  T  I  E  R.  247 

trymen  at  Stadacona.  He  had  been  sick 
with  the  scurvy  his  sinews  had  been  shrunk 
and  his  knees  swollen,  his  teeth  loose,  and  his 
gums  rotten  ;  but  he  was  then  recovered,  and 
told  Carlier  of  a  certain  tree,  the  leaves  and 
bark  of  which  he  had  used  as  a  remedy. 
Cartier  expressed  his  wish  to  see  the  tree, 
telling  him  that  one  of  his  people  had  been 
affected  with  the  same  disorder.  Two  wom- 
en were  immediately  despatched,  who  brought 
ten  or  twelve  branches,  and  showed  him  how 
to  prepare  the  decoction,  which  was  thus  : 
"  to  boil  the  bark  and  the  leaves ;  to  drink 
of  the  liquor  every  other  day  ;  and  to  put  the 
dregs  on  the  legs  of  the  sick."* 

*  This  tree  was  called  by  the  natives  Ameda  or  Haneda. 
Mr.  Hakluyt  supposes  it  to  have  been  the  sassafras  ;  but,  as  the 
leaves  were  used  with  the  bark  in  the  winter,  it  must  have  been 
an  evergreen.     The  dregs  of  the  bark  were  also  applied  to  the 
sore  legs  of  the  patient.     From  these  circumstances  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  it  was  the  spruce  pine  (pinus  Canadensis), 
which  is  used  in  the  same  manner  by  the  Indians,  and  such  as 
have  learned  of  them.     Spruce  beer  is  well  known  to  be  a  pow- 
erful antiscorbutic  ;  and  the  bark  of  this  and  of  the  white  pine 
serves  as  a  cataplasm  for  wounds  and  sores.* 

*  [We  may  add,  that,  for  the  use  of  Cartier's  men, "  a  tree, 
as  big  as  any  oake  in  France,  was  spoyled  and  stripped  bare." 
The  narrator  of  the  second  voyage  speaks  of  "  a  kind  of  tree 
which  they  call  Hanneda,  above  three  fathom  about."     We  be- 
lieve the  sassafras  hardly  attains  so  great  size.     That  it  was 
used  for  such  purposes  appears,  however,  from  the  following 


248  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

This  remedy  presently  came  into  use  on 
board  the  ships  ;  and  its  good  effects  were  so 
surprising,  that  within  one  week  they  were 
completely  healed  of  the  scurvy ;  and  some 
who  had  venereal  complaints  of  long  stand- 
ing were  also  cured  by  the  same  means. 

The  severity  of  winter  having  continued 
four  months  without  intermission,  at  the  re- 
turn of  the  sun  the  season  became  milder,  and 
in  April  the  ice  began  to  break  up.  On  the 
third  day  of  May  Cartier  took  possession  of 
the  country  by  erecting  a  cross  thirty-five 
feet  high,  on  which  was  hung  a  shield,  bear- 
ing the  arms  of  France,  with  this  inscription : 
FRANCISCUS  primus,  Dei  gratid,  FRANCORUM 
Rex,  regnal. 

The  same  day,  being  a  day  of  festivity,* 
the  two  young  savages  Taignoagni  and  Dom- 
agaia,  with  Donacona,  the  chief  of  the  place, 
came  on  board  the  ships,  and  were  partly 

passage  from  Josselyn's  "  Account  of  Two  Voyages  to  New- 
England"  (3d  Mass.  Hist.  Coll.,  iii.,  257) :  "  The  sassafras  is 
no  great  tree  ;  I  have  met  with  some  as  big  as  my  middle.  A 
decoction  of  the  roots  and  bark  thereof  is  good  for  the  scurvie, 
taken  some  time  together,  and  laying  upon  the  legs  the  leaves  of 
white  hellebore."  This  corresponds  to  Cartier's  narrative  ex- 
cept in  the  particular  of  size. — H.] 

*  [Being  Holy  Rood  day,  i.  e.,  the  day  of  the  holy  cross. 
— Hakluyt,  iii.,  329.— H.] 


C  ARTIER.  249 

prevailed  on  and  partly  constrained  to  ac- 
company Cartier  to  France.  A  handsome 
present  was  made  to  the  family  of  Donacona, 
but  it  was  with  great  reluctance  that  his 
friends  parted  with  him,  though  Cartier  prom- 
ised to  bring  him  again  at  the  end  of  twelve 
months.  On  the  sixth  of  May  they  sail- 
ed from  the  port  of  St.  Croix,  and,  having 
touched  at  St.  Peter's  in  Newfoundland,  they 
arrived  at  St.  Malo,  in  France,  the  sixth  of 
July,  1536. 

Whether  Cartier  performed  his  vow  to 
God  the  history  does  not  tell  us ;  certain  it 
is,  however,  that  he  did  not  perform  his  prom- 
ise to  his  passengers.  The  zeal  for  adven- 
tures of  this  kind  began  to  abate.  Neither 
gold  nor  silver  were  carried  home.  The  ad- 
vantages of  the  fur-trade  were  not  fully  un- 
derstood, and  the  prospect  of  benefit  from 
cultivation  in  the  short  summer  of  that  cold 
climate  was  greatly  overbalanced  by  the 
length  and  severity  of  a  Canadian  winter. 
The  natives  had  been  so  often  told  of  the  ne- 
cessity of  baptism  in  order  to  salvation,  that, 
on  their  arrival  in  France,  they  were,  at  their 
own  request,  baptized  ;  but  neither  of  them 
lived  to  see  their  native  land  again. 

The  report  which  Cartier  brought  home  of 


250  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

the  fine  country  beyond  the  lakes*  had, 
however,  made  such  an  impression  on  the 
minds  of  some,  that,  at  the  end  of  four  years, 
another  expedition  was  projected.  Franci? 
de  la  Roche,  lord  of  Roberval,t  was  com* 
missioned  by  the  king  as  his  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor in  Canadat  and  Hochelaga.  and  Cartier 

*  [It  is  worth  our  while  to  notice  with  what  partial  and  erro- 
neous information,  and,  of  course,  unreasonable  expectations,  the 
expeditions  of  those  days  were  undertaken.  Gold  and  silver  be- 
ing the  chief  objects  of  desire,  Cartier  greedily  received  from  the 
natives  accounts  of  rich  mines,  and  doubtless  reported  them  with 
no  diminution.  They  told  him  of  a  people  in  Saguenay  "  very 
honest,  with  many  inhabited  towns,  and  great  store  of  gold." — 
Hakluyt,  iii.,  225.  Donacona  had  informed  him  of  "infinite 
rubies,  gold,  and  other  riches"  there,  and  "white  men  who 
clothe  themselves  with  woollen  cloth,  as  we  doe  in  France." — 
Ib.,  228.  They  reported,  too,  a  country  distant  a  month's  sail, 
perhaps  down  the  Mississippi,  of  "  oranges,  almonds,  cinnamon, 
and  cloves." — Ib.,  225,  232.  The  Indians  who  went  with  Car- 
tier  to  France  told  similar  stories  to  the  king.  Whether  he  or 
the  natives  were  most  deluded  in  these  representations  we  do 
not  know.  Probably,  early  aware  of  the  cupidity  of  the 
French,  they  had  framed  their  stories  to  satisfy  it. — H.J 

t  [Hakluyt,  iii.,  232,  calls  him  John  Francis,  &c.  He  was 
a  nobleman  of  Picardy,  of  great  weight  in  his  own  province,  and 
on  that  account  Francis  I.  used  to  call  him  "  the  little  King  of 
Vimieu." — Forster,  441. — H.] 

t  [The  name  Canada,  some  say,  was  derived  from  a  saying 
of  Velasco,  who,  when  he  saw  the  barrenness  of  the  country,  no 
signs  of  gold  or  silver  there,  cried  out  "  aca  nada"  (or  aqui  na- 
da),  "  Nothing  here."  Some  of  the  old  maps  have  the  name  Ca- 
da-nada,  or  Cape  Nothing.  Others,  say  more  probably,  that  the 


C  ARTIER.  251 

was  appointed  his  pilot,*  with  the  command 
of  five  ships.  When  they  were  ready  to  sail, 
Roberval  had  not  finished  his  preparations, 
and  was  therefore  detained.  The  king's  or- 
ders to  Cartier  being  positive,  he  sailed  from 
St.  Malo  on  the  23d  of  May,  1540. 

The  winds  were  adverse  and  the  voyage 
tedious.  The  ships  were  scattered,  and  did 
not  arrive  at  the  place  of  their  destination  till 
the  23d  of  August,  when  they  came  to  the 
port  of  St.  Croix  in  the  River  of  Canada. 

The  first  inquiry  made  by  the  natives  was 
for  their  countrymen  who  had  been  carried 
away.  The  answer  was  that  Donacona  was 
dead,  and  that  the  others  had  become  great 
lords,  were  married  in  France,  and  refused 
to  return.  Neither  sorrow  nor  resentment 
was  shown  on  this  occasion  ;  but  a  secret 
jealousy,  which  had  long  been  working,  re- 
ceived strength  from  an  answer  so  liable  to 
suspicion. 

The  history  of  this  voyage  being  imperfect, 
\t  is  not  possible  to  say  in  what  particular 

name  given  by  the  natives  to  a  town  or  village  was  Canada, 
which  the  French  understood  to  be  the  name  of  the  country. 
— Forster,  438,  note,  and  Hakluyt,  iii.,  232. — H.] 

*  ["  Captain-general  and  leader  of  the  shippes."    The  voyage 
jvas  made  at  the  joint  expense  of  Roberval  and  of  the  king, 
Brands  I. — H.] 
I.— U 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

manner  this  j  ealousy  operated.  Cartier  made 
another  excursion  up  the  river,  and  pitched 
on  a  place  about  four  leagues  above  St. 
Croix  to  lay  up  three  of  his  vessels  for  the 
winter.  The  other  two  he  sent  back  to 
France  to  inform  the  king  of  what  they  had 
done,  and  that  Roberval  had  not  arrived. 

At  the  new  harbour  which  he  had  chosen 
for  his  ships  was  a  small  river,  running  in  a 
serpentine  course  to  the  south.  On  the  east- 
ern side  of  its  entrance  was  a  high  and  steep 
cliff,  on  the  top  of  which  they  built  a  fort, 
and  called  it  Charleburg.  Below,  the  ships 
were  drawn  up  and  fortified,  as  they  had 
been  in  the  former  winter  which  he  spent 
here.  Not  far  from  the  fort  were  some  rocks 
containing  crystals,  which  they  denomina- 
ted diamonds  ;  and  on  the  shore  were  picked 
up  certain  specks  of  a  yellow  substance, 
which  their  imaginations  refined  into  gold. 
Iron  ore  was  found  in  abundan'ce,  and  a  kind 
of  black  slate,  with  veins  of  an  apparent  me- 
tallic substance. 

In  what  manner  they  passed  the  winter,  the 
defective  accounts  which  we  have  do  not  in- 
form us.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year, 
Cartier  and  his  company,  having  heard  no- 
thing of  Roberval,  and  concluding  that  they 


CABTIER.  253 

were  abandoned  by  their  friends,  and  exposed 
to  perish  in  a  climate  the  most  severe,  and 
among  people  whose  conduct  towards  them 
was  totally  changed,  determined  to  return  to 
France.     Accordingly,  having  set  sail  at  the 
breaking  up  of  the  ice,  they  arrived  in  the 
harbour  of  St.  John  in  Newfoundland  some 
time  in  June,  where  they  met  Roberval,  who, 
with  three  ships  and  two  hundred  persons, 
male  and  female,  had  sailed  from  Rochelle  in 
April,*  and  were  on  their  way  to  establish  a 
colony  ki  Canada.     Cartier  went  on  board 
Roberval's  ship,   and  showed   him  the  dia- 
monds and  gold  which  he  had  found,  but 
told  him  that  the  hostile  disposition  of  the  na- 
tives had  obliged  him  to  quit  the  country, 
which,  however,  he  represented  to  him  as  ca- 
pable of  profitable  cultivation.     Roberval  or- 
dered him  to  return  to  Canada ;  but  Cartier 
privately  sailed  out  of   the    harbour  in  the 
night,  and  pursued  his  voyage  to  France. 

Mortified  and  disappointed,  Roberval  con- 
tinued some  time  longer  at  St.  John's  before 
he  proceeded,  and  about  the  end  of  July  ar- 

*  [Roberval  sailed  April  16,  1542.— Hakluyt,  iii.,  240.  The 
same  author  says  that  Cartier  had  gone  "  the  year  before." 
Cartier  must  have  been  there  nearly  two  years  when  Roberval 
arrived. — H.] 


254  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

rived  at  the  place  which  Cartier  had  quitted. 
There  he  erected  a  fort  on  a  commanding 
eminence,  and  another  at  its  foot,  in  which 
were  deposited  all  the  provision,  ammunition, 
artillery,  implements  of  husbandry,  and  oth- 
er materials  for  the  intended  colony.* 

In  September,  two  vessels  were  sent  back 
to  France,  to  carry  specimens  of  crystal  and 
fetch  provisions  for  the  next  year,  the  stores 
which  they  had  brought  being  much  reduced. 
By  the  help  of  the  fish  which  they  took  in  the 
river,  and  the  game  which  they  procured 
from  the  savages,  and  by  well  husbanding 
their  provisions,  they  lingered  out  a  tedious 
winter,  having  suffered  much  from  the  scurvy, 
of  which  about  fifty  of  them  died.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  distress,  Roberval  exercised  such 

*  [Near  the  present  site  of  Quebec.  The  fortifications  oi 
what  is  now  the  Gibraltar  of  America  are  thus  described  in  the 
narrative  of  Roberval  :  "  The  saide  general!,  at  his  first  arrival^ 
built  a  fayre  fort,  which  is  very  beautiful  to  behold  and  of  great 
force, .  .  situated  upon  an  high  mountain,  wherein  were  two 
-courtes  of  buyldings,  a  great  tower,  and  another  of  fortie  or  fif- 
tie  foot  long :  wherein  there  were  divers  chambers,  an  hall,  a 
kitchen,  houses  of  office,  sellers,  high  and  lowe,  and  neere  unto 
it  were  an  oven  and  milles,  and  a  stove  to  warm  men  in,  and  a 
well  before  the  house.  There  was  also  at  the  foote  of  the 
mountaine  another  lodging,  part  whereof  was  a  great  tower  of 
two  stories  high,  two  courtes  of  good  buyldings."  Such  was  it 
in  1542.— H.] 


C  A  R  T  I  E  R.  255 

severity  in  his  government,  that  one  man  was 
hanged,  several  were  laid  in  irons,  and  some 
of  both  sexes  underwent  the  discipline  of  the 
whip. 

In  April  the  ice  began  to  break  up,  and 
on  the  fifth  of  June  he  proceeded  up  the  riv- 
er, leaving  De  Royeze,  his  lieutenant,  to  com- 
mand in  his  absence,  with  orders  to  embark 
for  France  if  he  should  not  return  by  the 
middle  of  July. 

As  the  account  of  the  expedition  ends  here, 
we  can  only  remark  that  the  colony  was  bro- 
ken up,  and  no  farther  attempt  was  made  by 
the  French  to  establish  themselves  in  Cana- 
da till  after  the  expiration  of  half  a  century. 
The  last  account  of  Roberval  is  that,  in  1549, 
he  sailed  with  his  brother  on  some  voyage  of 
discovery,  and  never  returned.* 

In  this  first  visit  which  the  natives  of  Can- 
ada received  from  the  Europeans,  we  have  a 
striking  instance  of  their  primitive  manners. 
Suspecting  no  danger,  and  influenced  by  no 
fear,  they  embraced  the  stranger  with  unaf- 
fected joy.  Their  huts  were  open  to  receive 
him,  their  fires  and  furs  to  give  warmth  and 
rest  to  his  weary  limbs ;  their  food  was  sha- 
red with  him,  or  given  in  exchange  for  his  tri- 

*  [Bosman,  History  of  Maryland,  p.  41,  says  to  the  St 
Lawrence. — H.] 


256  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

fles  ;  they  were  ready  with  their  simple  med- 
icines to  heal  his  diseases  and  his  wounds ; 
they  would  wade  through  rivers,  and  climb 
rocks  and  mountains  to  guide  him  in  his 
way,  and  they  would  remember  and  requite 
his  kindness  more  than  it  deserved. 

Unhappily  for  them,  they  set  too  high  a 
value  on  their  new  guest.  Imagining  him  to 
be  of  a  heavenly  origin,  they  were  extrava- 
gant and  unguarded  in  their  first  attachment, 
and,  from  some  specimens  of  his  superiority, 
obvious  to  their  senses,  they  expected  more 
than  ought  ever  to  be  expected  from  beings 
of  the  same  species.  But  when  the  mistake 
was  discovered,  and  the  stranger  whom  they 
had  adored  proved  to  be  no  more  than  hu- 
man, having  the  same  inferior  desires  and 
passions  with  themselves — especially  when 
they  found  their  confidence  misplaced  and 
their  generous  friendship  ill  requited — then  the 
rage  of  jealousy  extinguished  the  virtue  of 
benevolence,  and  they  struggled  to  rid  them- 
selves of  him  as  an  enemy  whom  they  had 
received  into  their  bosom  as  a  friend. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  too  common  for 
the  European  adventurer  to  regard  the  man 
of  nature  as  an  inferior  being ;  and,  while  he 
availed  himself  of  his  strength  and  experience, 


C  A  R  T  I  E  K.  257 

to  abuse  his  confidence,  and  repay  his  kind- 
ness with  insult  and  injury,  to  stigmatize  him 
as  a  heathen  and  a  savage,  and  to  bestow  on 
him  the  epithets  of  deceitful,  treacherous,  and 
cruel,  though  he  himself  had  first  set  the  ex- 
ample of  these  detestable  vices. 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


VI.  FERDINANDO  DE  SOTO.* 

THE  travels  and  transactions  of  this  adven- 
turer are  of  so  little  importance  in  the  history 
of  America,  that  I  should  not  have  thought 
them  worthy  of  much  notice  had  it  not  been 
that  some  gentlemen  of  ingenuity  and  learn- 
ing have  had  recourse  to  the  expedition  of  this 
Spaniard  as  a  means  of  solving  the  question 
respecting  the  mounds  and  fortifications  of  a 
regular  construction  which,  within  a  few  years 
past,  have  been  discovered  in  the  thickest 
shades  of  the  American  forest. f  Though  the 
opinion  seems  to  have  been  candidly  given 
up  by  one  of  the  writers  who  attempted  to 
defend  it,  yet,  as  what  was  published  on  the 
subject  may  have  impressed  some  persons 
with  an  idea  that  these  works  were  of  Euro- 

*  [A  minute  and  circumstantial  narrative  of  De  Solo's  expe- 
dition was  written  by  a  "Portugese  gentleman  of  Elvas,"  who 
accompanied  him.  It  was  translated  about  1562,  and  is  cited 
in  these  notes  as  the  Relation. — H.] 

t  If  the  reader  wishes  to  see  a  particular  investigation  of  this 
hypothesis,  he  may  consult  the  American  Magazine,  printed  at 
New- York,  for  December,  1787,  January  and  February,  1780, 
and  some  subsequent  numbers,  compared  with  the  Columbian 
Magazine,  printed  at  Philadelphia,  for  September  and  Novem- 
ber, 1788. 


s  o  T  o.  259 

pean  fabric,  I  shall  briefly  relate  the  history 
of  Soto's  march,  and  the  difficulties  which 
attend  the  supposition  that  he  was  the  builder 
of  any  of  these  fortifications. 

After  the  conquest  of  Mexico  and  Peru  in 
the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the 
inextinguishable  thirst  for  gold  which  had 
seized  the  Spanish  adventurers  prompted 
them  to  search  for  that  bewitching  metal 
wherever  there  could  be  any  prospect  of  find- 
ing it.  Three  unsuccessful  attempts  had  been 
made  in  Florida  by  Ponce,  Gomez,  and  Nar- 
vaez  ;*  but,  because  these  adventurers  did 
not  penetrate  the  interior  parts  of  the  Con- 
tinent, FERDINANDO  DE  Soxo,t  governor  of 

*  [See  Chronological  Detail,  &c.— H.] 

t  [De  Soto  was  born  at  Xeres  de  Bajados  (but,  according  to 
Garcilaso,  at  Villa  Nuova  de  Barcarota,  in  Estrcmadura :  see  also 
Biog.  Univ.),  of  a  respectable  family,  but  not  distinguished  for 
rank  or  wealth.  By  virtue  of  his  natural  energy  and  enthusi- 
asm he  became  interested  in  the  then  popular  adventures  in 
America,  where  he  served  under  Pedrarias  Davila,  governor  ot 
Darien,  having  "no  more  estate  than  a  sword  and  buckler." 
With  Pizarro  in  the  conquest  of  Peru  he  commanded  a  troop  ol 
horse,  and  gained  much  reputation  as  well  as  wealth.  His  share 
of  the  spoils  in  that  expedition  is  said  to  have  been  180,000 
crowns  of  gold.  On  his  return  to  Spain  he  appeared  at  court 
with  a  magnificent  retinue  and  equipage,  "  resolved  to  make 
himself  be  taken  notice  of  by  a  sumptuous  expense,  though  oth- 
erwise he  had  no  inclination  to  liberality."  Here  he  married 
the  daughter  of  Pedrarias,  and  received  the  favourable  notice  of 
the  emperor,  who  now  made  him  governor  of  Cuba,  and  added 


260  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

Cuba,  who  had  been  a  companion  of  the  Pi- 
zarros  in  their  Peruvian  expedition,  and  had 
there  amassed  much  wealth,  projected  a 
march  into  Florida,  of  which  country  he  had 
the  title  of  adelantado,  or  president.  He 
sailed  from  the  port  of  Havanna  May  18, 
1539,  with  nine  vessels,  six  hundred  men,* 
two  hundred  and  thirteen  horses,  and  a  herd 
of  swine,  and  arrived  on  the  30th  of  the  same 
month  in  the  Bay  of  Espiritu  Santo,  on  the 
western  coast  of  the  peninsula  of  Florida. 

Being  a  soldier  of  fortune  and  determined 
on  conquest,  he  immediately  pitched  his  camp 
and  secured  it.  A  foraging  party  met  with 
a  few  Indians,  who  resisted  them  ;  two  were 
killed ;  the  others  escaped,  and  reported  to 

the  title  of  "marquis  of  the  lands  which  he  might  conquer." 
His  inclination  to  invade  Florida  was  strengthened,  if  not  origi- 
nated, by  the  narrative  of  Cabeqa  de  Vaca,  one  of  the  survivors 
of  the  unfortunate  expedition  of  Narvaez,  who  represented  it  as 
one  of  the  richest  countries  in  the  world.  Soto  quickly  assem- 
bled a  company  for  this  purpose,  among  whom  were  many  cav- 
aliers of  quality  from  Spain  and  Portugal.  He  equipped  seven 
ships,  and  sailed  from  St.  Lucar  in  the  month  of  April,  1538. 
In  the  year  which  elapsed  before  he  left  Cuba  for  Florida,  he 
sent  two  expeditions  to  explore  the  coast  and  select  a  suitable 
place  for  landing.  The  fleet  with  which  he  sailed  from  Havan- 
na consisted  of  five  ships,  two  caravels,  and  two  brigantines, 
with  six  hundred  men. — H.] 

*  lu  Prince's  Chronology  it  is  said  that  §oto  had  900  men , 
but  he  quotes  Purchas  for  his  authority,  in  whose  book  the  num- 
ber is  "  sir  hundred." 


SOTO.  261 

their  countrymen  that  the  warriors  of  fire 
had  invaded  their  territories,  upon  which  the 
smaller  towns  were  deserted,  and  the  natives 
hid  in  the  woods.* 

Having  met  with  a  Spaniard  of  the  party 
of  Narvaez,t  who  had  been  wrecked  dn  the 
coast,  and  had  been  twelve  years  a  captive 
with  the  Indians,  Soto  made  use  of  him  as  a 
messenger  to  them  to  inquire  for  gold  and 
silver ;  and,  wherever  he  could  receive  any 

*  [The  treatment  of  the  Indians  by  De  Soto  and  his  party  was 
marked  by  every  circumstance  of  ferocious  and  brutal  cruelty. 
They  were  hunted  by  bloodhounds,  loaded  with  chains,  forced 
to  be  baggage-carriers  and  guides,  attacked  on  the  slightest 
cause,  and  slaughtered  like  beasts.  Take  an  example  :  "  The 
general  sent  out  two  captains  several  ways  to  take  Indians,  who 
brought  in  a  hundred,  as  well  women  as  men,  that  were  all  divi- 
ded in  this  manner  :  The  captain  who  took  the  prize  set  one  or 
two  apart  for  the  governor,  the  rest  were  divided  between  the 
captain  and  soldiers.  They  were  chained  by  the  neck,  and  serv- 
ed to  carry  the  baggage,  pound  the  maize,  and  in  other  employ- 
ments wherein  the  chain  incommoded  them  not  too  much."  If 
any  attempted  to  escape,  "  they  paid  dear  for  it." — Relation,  p. 
44.  "  Nor,  indeed,  did  any  of  those  who  were  put  in  chains 
ever  return  again"  with  the  consent  of  their  captors. — Ib.,  81. 
And  again,  "  the  Indians  that  served  us,  going  naked  and  in 
irons  during  the  bitter  cold  of  winter,  were  almost  all  starved  to 
death."— Ib.,  50.  The  historian  of  Elvas  adds,  that  De  Soto 
"  could  not  endure  that  any  Indian  should  be  so  bold  as  to  fall 
foul  upon  a  Christian,  right  or  wrong/' — Ib.,  77.  Once  he  or- 
dered an  Indian  to  be  burned  alive  merely  to  gain  information 
of  his  route. — Ib  ,  62. — H.] 

t  [John  Ortiz.     He  died  at  Autiamque  in  1542. — H.J 


262  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

information  respecting  these  precious  metals, 
thither  he  directed  his  march. 

His  manner  of  marching  was  this :  The 
horsemen  carried  bags  of  corn  and  other  pro- 
visions, the  footmen  marched  by  the  side  of 
the  horses,  and  the  swine  were  driven  before 
them.*  When  they  first  landed  they  had 
thirteen  female  swine,  which  in  two  years  in- 
creased to  several  hundreds ;  the  warmth  of 
the  climate  being  favourable  to  their  propa- 
gation, and  the  forests  yielding  them  a  plenty 
of  food. 

The  first  summer  and  winter  were  spent 
in  the  Peninsula  of  Florida,  not  far  from  the 
Bay  of  Apalache  ;  and  in  the  beginning  of 
the  following  spring,  having  sent  back  his 
vessels  to  Cuba  for  supplies,  and  left  a  part 
of  his  men  at  the  port,  where  he  expected  the 

*  [The  fatigues  and  sufferings  of  the  company  were  exces- 
sive. The  footmen  were  obliged  to  carry  their  provision  on  their 
backs,  and  often  reduced  to  extremities  and  death  from  the  want 
of  suitable  food.  Their  journeys  were  over  deserts  and  difficult 
mountains,  or  through  tracts  inhabited  by  those  only  of  whom 
their  own  cruelty  had  made  them  suspicious,  and  who  more  than 
once  proved  themselves  no  contemptible  foe.  They  swam  riv- 
ers, waded  deep  marshes,  cut  through  canebrakes,  hungered, 
thirsted,  scorched  under  a  hot  sun,  and  wasted  away  from  fear, 
anxiety,  and  doubt.  The  golden  region  fled  before  them,  sem- 
per ccdentia  retro,  and  their  high  hopes  of  conquest  and  wealth 
gradually  gave  way  to  uncertainty  and  despair,  till  they  aban- 
doned every  wish  but  to  escape  with  life. — H.  j 


SOTO.  263 

ships  to  return,  he  marched  towards  the  north 
and  east  in  search  of  a  place  called  Yupaha, 
where  he  had  been  informed  there  was. gold.* 
In  this  march  he  crossed  the  River  Alta- 
maha,  and  probably  the  Ogechee,  and  came, 
as  he  was  informed,  within  two  days'  journey 
of  the  Bay  of  St.  Helena,  where  the  Spaniards 
had  been  several  years  before.  In  all  this 
march  he  stayed  not  more  than  a  week  in  any 
one  place.! 

*  [He  was  induced  to  march  for  Yupaha  by  the  representa- 
tions of  a  young  Indian,  who  told  him  that  the  queen  of  that 
country  received  tribute  in  gold  ;  and,  to  confirm  his  statements, 
described  the  process  of  digging,  melting,  and  refining  it,  "as  if 
he  had  seen  it  done  a  hundred  times." — Relation,  49.  On 
reaching  it  they  were  disappointed  in  their  expectations  of  gold  ; 
but,  having  searched  the  tombs  of  the  town,  they  found  "  four- 
teen bushels  of  pearls,"  which  they  lost  in  the  burning  at  Mo- 
bile.—Ib.,  65,  95.— H.] 

t  [It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  exactly  the  points  which  De 
Soto  reached  in  his  various  excursions.  We  have  the  time  and 
distance  of  the  marches  in  general  terms,  the  latter  of  which,  at 
least,  must  be  received  with  some  caution.  For  their  marches 
were  often  circuitous,  and  even  retrograde,  and  their  own  com- 
putation of  days'  marches  probably  carelessly  made.  As  we  have 
not  the  precise  length  of  their  days'  marches,  which  were  very 
various,  so  we  have  not  the  precise  number  of  days  which  they 
were  actually  marching.  We  cannot  arrive  at  any  certainty, 
though  we  may  make,  as  in  the  text,  a  plausible  conjecture. 
The  party  left  Palache  the  third  of  March,  1540,  and  left  Cuti- 
fachiqui,  in  the  region  of  Yupaha,  the  third  of  May ;  and  the 
distance  is  given  at  "  four  hundred  and  thirty  leagues,  from 
southwest  to  northeast."— Relation,  &c.,  50,  68,  87.— H.] 


264  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

He  then  set  his  face  northward,  and,  hav- 
ing passed  a  hilly  country,  came  to  a  district 
called  Chalaque,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the 
country  now  called  Cherokee,  on  the  upper 
branches  of  the  River  Savannah.*  Thence 
he  turned  westward  in  search  of  a  place  call- 
ed Chiaha,  and  in  -this  route  he  crossed  the 
Alleghany  Ridge  and  came  to  Chiaha,  where 
his  horses  and  men,  being  excessively  fa- 
tigued, rested  thirty  days.  The  horses  fed  in 
a  meadow,  and  the  people  lay  under  the  trees, 
the  weather  being  very  hot,  and  the  natives 
in  peace,  This  was  in  the  months  of  May 
and  June.  During  their  abode  there  they 
heard  of  a  country  called  Chisca,  where  was 
copper  and  another  metal  of  the  same  colour. 
This  country  lay  northward,  and  a  party  was 
sent  with  Indian  guides  to  view  it.  Their 
report  was  that  the  mountains  were  impassa- 
ble, and  Soto  did  not  attempt  to  proceed  any 
farther  in  that  direction. 

From  a  careful  inspection  of  the  maps  in 
the  American  Atlas,  I  am  inclined  to  think 

*  [To  Chalaque  was  seven  days'  march,  and  to  Xualla,  in  the 
same  direction,  to  the  north,  five  days.  The  distance  is  given 
as  two  hundred  and  fifty  leagues.  If  we  take  from  this  one 
hundred  leagues,  which  they  went  in  the  country  of  Yupaha, 
they  must  have  travelled  about  thirty-eight  miles  a  day,  through 
a  difficult  and  mountainous  country. — Relation,  69,  70. — H.] 


s  o  T  o.  265 

that  the  place  where  Soto  crossed  the  mount- 
ains was  within  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of  lati- 
'ude.  In  Delisle's  map  a  village  called  Can- 
asaga  is  laid  down  on  the  N.W.  side  of  the 
A.lleghany,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the 
Apalachian  ridge  of  mountains,  in  that  lati- 
tude ;  and  Chiaha  is  said  in  Soto's  journal  to 
be  five  days  westward  from  Canasagua. 

To  ascertain  the  situation  of  Chiaha  we 
must  observe  that  it  is  said  to  be  subject  to 
the  Lord  of  Cosa,  which  is  situate  on  an  east- 
ern branch  of  the  Mobille  ;  and  Soto's  sick 
men  came  down  the  river  from  Chiaha  in 
boats.  This  river  could  be  none  but  a  branch 
of  the  Mobille;  and  his  course  was  then 
turned  towards  the  south.  In  this  march  he 
passed  through  Alibama,  Talise,  Tascalusa,* 
names  which  are  still  known  and  marked  on 
the  maps,  till  he  came  to  the  town  of  Mavil- 
la,  which  the  French  pronounced  Mouville 
and  Mobille.  It  was  then  a  walled  town, 
but  the  walls  were  of  wood.  The  inhabi- 
tants had  conceived  a  disgust  to  the  Spaniards, 
which  was  augmented  by  an  outrage  com- 

"•  [The  modern  names  are  Alabama,  Tallahassee  probably, 
and  Tuscaloosa.  Talise  is  briefly  described  as  "  a  great  town, 
and  situated  neere  unto  a  main  river."  The  position  of  Tasca- 
lusa is  not  very  exactly  defined. — H.] 


266  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

mitted  on  one  of  their  chiefs,  and  finally 
broke  out  in  a  severe  conflict,  in  which  two 
thousand  of  the  innocent  natives  were  slain, 
and  many  of  the  Spaniards  killed  and  wound- 
ed, and  the  town  was  burned.  This  was  in 
the  latter  end  of  October. 

It  is  probable  that  Soto  intended  to  pass 
the  winter  in  the  neighbourhood  of  that  vil- 
lage if  he  could  have  kept  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  Indians,  for  there  he  could  have  had 
a  communication  with  Cuba.  There  he  heard 
that  the  vessels  which  he  had  sent  to  Cuba 
for  supplies  were  arrived  at  Ochus  [Pensaco- 
la],  where  he  had  agreed  to  meet  them ;  but 
he  kept  this  information  secret,  because  he 
had  not  yet  made  any  discoveries  which  his 
Spanish  friends  would  think  worthy  of  regard. 
The  country  about  him  was  populous  and 
hostile,  and,  being  void  of  gold  or  silver,  was 
not  an  object  for  him  to  possess  at  the  risk 
of  losing  his  army,  of  which  above  a  hundred 
had  already  perished.  He  therefore,  after 
staying  twenty-eight  days  for  the  recovery  of 
his  wounded,  determined  on  a  retreat. 

In  this  retreat  it  has  been  supposed  that  he 
penetrated  northward  beyond  the  Ohio.  The 
truth  is,  that  he  began  his  march  from  Mavil- 
la,  a  village  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mobille,  on 


SOTO.  267 

the  18th  of  November,  and  on  the  17th  of 
December  arrived  at  Chica^a,  an  Indian  vil- 
lage of  twenty  houses,  where  they  remained 
till  the  next  April. 

The  distance,  the  time,  the  nature  of  the 
country,  the  course  and  manner  of  the  march, 
and  the  name  of  the  village,  all  concur  to  de- 
termine this  winter-station  of  Soto  to  be  a 
village  of  the  Chickasaiv  Indians,  situate  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  Yasou,  a  branch  of  the 
Mississippi,  about  eighty  leagues  northwest- 
ward from  Mobille,  and  not  less  than  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  leagues  southwestward  from 
the  Muskingum,  where  the  great  fortifications 
which  gave  rise  to  this  inquiry  are  found. 
From  Chicaga,  in  the  spring,  he  went  west- 
ward, and  crossed  a  river  within  the  thirty- 
fourth  degree  of  latitude,  which  he  called  Rio 
Grande,  and  which  is  now  known  to  be  the 
Mississippi.* 

On  the  western  side  of  the  Mississippi,  af- 
ter rambling  all  summer,  he  spent  the  next 

*  [At  the  place  where  they  crossed  "  the  river  was  half  a  ' 
league  over,  so  that  a  man  could  not  be  distinguished  from  one 
side  to  the  other."  The  description  of  the  river  fully  corre- 
sponds with  the  peculiarities  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  worthy 
of  notice  that  in  this  route  they  heard  of  a  tradition  among  the 
natives  that  "  a  white  people  should  come  and  conquer  theif 
country." — Relation,  &c.,  109,  112.— H.] 

I— X 


268  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

winter,  at  a  place  called  Autiamque,  where 
he  enclosed  his  camp  with  a  wall  of  timber, 
the  work  of  three  days  only.  Within  this 
enclosure  he  lodged  safely  during  three 
months  ;*  and,  in  the  succeeding  spring,  the 
extreme  fatigue  and  anxiety  which  he  had 
suffered  threw  him  into  a  fever,  of  which  he 
died,  May  21,  1542,  at  Guacoya.f  To  pre- 
vent his  death  from  being  known  to  the  In- 
dians, his  body  was  sunk  in  the  middle  of  a 
river. 

His  lieutenant,  Louis  de  Moscosco,1:  con- 
tinued to  ramble  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Mississippi  till  the  next  summer,  when,  worn 
with  fatigue,  disappointment,  and  loss  of 
men,  he  built  seven  boats,  called  brigantines, 
on  the  Mississippi,  in  which  the  shattered 
remnants,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and 

*  [He  left  Autiamque  the  6th  of  March,  having  hardly  more  than 
three  hundred  soldiers  remaining,  and  about  forty  horses. — H.] 

t  [His  death  is  reported  to  have  been  peaceful  and  religious, 
though  his  life  was  cruel  and  bloody.  His  character  was  one 
not  rare  in  that  day,  haughty,  obstinate,  perfidious,  and  selfish, 
yet  daring,  energetic,  and  enthusiastic. — H.] 

t  [Louis  de  Moscosco  had  been  Soto's  lieutenant,  or,  as  he  is 
called,  "  camp-master-general,"  through  the  whole  expedition. 
He  was  a  fellow-townsman  of  Soto,  and  was  named  by  him  on 
his  deathbed  to  succeed  to  the  command  of  the  army.  Before 
sailing  down  the  Mississippi,  he  led  them  westward  towards 
Mexico  between  four  and  five  hundred  miles. — H.] 


s  o  T  o.  269 

eleven,  returned  to  Cuba  in  September, 
1543.*t 

The  place  where  Soto  died  is  said  to  have 
been  on  the  bank  of  the  Red  River,  a  west- 
ern branch  of  the  Mississippi,  in  lat.  31°.  The 
place  where  the  remnant  of  his  army  built 
their  vessels  and  embarked  for  Cuba  is  called 
in  the  journal  Minoya.  They  were  seventeen 
days  in  sailing  down  the  river,  and  they  com- 
puted the  distance  to  be  two  hundred  and 
fifty  leagues. $ 

From  this  account,  faithfully  abridged  from 
Purchas,  and  compared  with  the  best  maps,  I 
am  fully  persuaded  that  the  whole  country 
through  which  Soto  travelled  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Mississippi  is  comprehended  with- 
in Florida,  Georgia,  and  South  Carolina,  and 
that  he  never  went  farther  northward  than 
the  35th  degree  of  latitude,  which  is  distant 
two  degrees  southward  from  any  part  of  the 
Ohio.  The  conclusion  then  is,  that  he  could 

*  Purchas,  vol.  v.,  p.  1532-1556. 

f  [The  Relation,  &c.,  p.  211,  says  they  sailed  52  days  from 
the  Mississippi  along  the  coast  of  the  gulf  to  the  River  Panico. 
in  Mexico,  where  they  arrived  September  10,  1543,  and  that 
most  of  them,  after  remaining  there  a  few  weeks,  visited  the 
city  of  Mexico. — H.] 

$  Mr.  Prince,  in  his  Chronology,  says  400  in  figures ;  but 
Purchas,  from  whom  he  quotes,  says  "  two  hundred  and  fifty." 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

not  have  been  the  builder  of  those  fortifica- 
tions still  remaining  in  that  part  of  the  conti- 
nent which  lies  N.W.  of  the  Ohio.  Nor,  in- 
deed, can  any  works  which  he  erected  for 
the  security  of  his  camp  be  subsisting  at  this 
time ;  for  the  best  of  them  were  made  of 
wood,  and  were  intended  to  cover  his  men 
and  protect  his  horses  and  swine  only  during 
one  winter. 

The  works  which  have  so  much  excited 
curiosity  and  conjecture  are  far  more  numer- 
ous, extensive,  and  durable.  They  are  found 
in  various  and  distant  places  in  the  interior 
part  of  the  continent,  on  both  sides  of  the 
Mississippi,  on  the  Ohio  and  its  branches,  on 
James  and  Potomac  Rivers  in  Virginia,  in  the 
country  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  on  the  shores 
of  Lake  Erie,  where  they  are  exceedingly 
numerous. 

The  most  obvious  mode  of  solving  the 
question  respecting  them  is  by  inquiry  of  the 
present  natives.  But  the  structures  are  too 
ancient  for  their  tradition ;  the  oldest  and 
wisest  men  know  nothing  of  their  original. 
The  form  and  materials  of  these  works  indi- 
cate the  existence  of  a  race  of  men  superior 
to  the  present  race  in  improvement,  in  de- 


SOTO.  271 

sign,  and  in  that  patience  which  must  have 
accompanied  the  labour  of  erecting  them. 

Trees  which  have  been  found  growing  on 
them  have  been  cut  down,  and,  from  indubi- 
table marks,  are  known  to  have  been  upward 
of  three  hundred  years  old ;  nor  were  these 
the  first  growth  upon  them. 

The  mounds  and  ramparts  are  constructed 
of  earth,  and  have  acquired  a  firmness  and 
solidity  which  render  it  probable  that  they 
are  the  work  of  some  remote  age  and  some 
other  people",  who  had  different  ideas  of  con- 
venience, and  were  better  acquainted  with  the 
arts  of  defence,  and,  in  fact,  were  much  more 
numerous  than  the  ancestry  of  those  natives 
of  whom  we  or  our  fathers  have  had  any 
knowledge. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  persons  who  now 
occupy  and  are  cultivating  th.e  lands  where 
these  singular  buildings  are  found,  will  pre- 
serve, as  far  as  they  are  able,  some,  at  least, 
of  these  monuments  of  unknown  ages,  that, 
as  they  have  long  resisted  the  ravages  of 
time,  and  may  possibly  baffle  the  researches 
of  the  present  generation,  they  may  subsist 
unimpaired  as  subjects  of  speculation  to  our 
posterity. 


272  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


VII.  HUMPHREY  GILBERT. 

AFTER  the  discovery  of  Newfoundland  by 
the  Cabots,  the  passion  for  adventure  among 
the  English  met  with  many  severe  checks. 
But  while  one  adventurer  after  another  was 
returning  home  from  an  unsuccessful  voyage, 
foreigners  were  reaping  the  benefit  of  their 
partial  discoveries. 

Within  the  first  forty  years  we  have  no  ac- 
count of  any  attempt  made  by  the  English  to 
prosecute  the  discovery  of  the  new  continent, 
except  that  in  1536  two  vessels,  containing 
one  hundred  and  twenty  persons,  of  whom 
thirty  were  gentlemen  of  education  and  char- 
acter, under  the  conduct  of  "  Master  Hore, 
of  London,"*  made  a  voyage  to  Newfound- 
land ;t  but  they  were  so  ill  provided,  and 
knew  so  little  of  the  nature  of  the  country, 
that  they  suffered  the  extremity  of  famine. 
For,  notwithstanding  the  immense  quantities 
of  fish  and  fowl  to  be  found  on  those  coasts, 

*  [Master  Hore  is  described  as  "  a  man  of  goodly  staturt 
and  of  great  courage,  and  given  to  the  study  of  cosmography.* 
— Hakluyt,  iii.,  129.— H.] 

t  Hakluyt,  vol.  iii.,  p.  130. 


GILBERT.  273 

they  were  reduced  so  low  as  to  watch  the 
nests  of  birds  of  prey,  and  rob  them  of  the 
fish  which  they  brought  to  feed  their  young. 
To  collect  this  scanty  supply,  with  a  mixture 
of  roots  and  herbs,  the  men  dispersed  them- 
selves in  the  woods  until  several  of  them 
were  missing.  It  was  at  first  thought  that 
they  were  devoured  by  wild  beasts  ;  but  it  was 
found  that  they  met  with  a  more  tragical  fate, 
the  stronger  having  killed  the  weaker,  and 
feasted  on  their  flesh.  In  the  midst  of  this 
distress,  a  French  ship  arriving  with  a  supply 
of  provisions,  they  took  her  by  force,  and  re- 
turned to  England,  leaving  to  the  Frenchmen 
their  own  smaller  vessels,  and  dividing  the 
provision  between  them.  Complaint  of  this 
act  of  piracy  was  made  to  King  HENRY  VIII., 
who,  knowing  the  miseries  of  the  unfortunate 
crew,  instead  of  punishing  them,  paid  the 
damage  out  of  his  own  coffers. 

Within  the  succeeding  forty  years  the  Eng- 
lish had  begun  to  make  some  advantage  by 
the  fishery,  and  in  1578  the  state  of  it  is  thus 
described:*  "  There  are  about  one  hundred 
sail  of  Spaniards  who  come  to  take  cod,  who 
make  it  all  wet,  and  dry  it  when  they  come 

*  Letter  of  Anthony  Parkhurst  to  Richard  Hakluyt,  vol.  iii., 
p.  138. 


274  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

home,  besides  twenty  or  thirty  more  who 
come  from  Biscay  to  kill  whales  for  train. 
These  be  better  appointed  for  shipping  and 
furniture  of  munition  than  any  other  nation 
save  the  English,  who  commonly  are  lords 
of  the  harbours.  As  touching  their  tonnage, 
I  think  it  may  be  near  five  or  six  thousand. 
Of  Portugals  there  are  not  above  fifty  sail, 
whose  tonnage  may  amount  to  three  thou- 
sand, and  they  make  all  wet.  Of  the  French 
nation  there  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
sail ;  the  most  of  their  shipping  is  very  small, 
not  past  forty  tons ;  among  which  some  are 
great  and  reasonably  well  appointed,  better 
than  the  Portugals,  and  not  so  well  as  the 
Spaniards  ;  the  burden  of  them  may  be  about 
seven  thousand.  The  English  vessels  have 
increased  in  four  years  from  thirty  to  fifty 
sail.  The  trade  which  our  nation  hath  to 
Iceland  maketh  that  the  English  are  not  there 
in  such  numbers  as  other  nations." 

The  next  year  [1579]  Queen  Elizabeth 
granted  to  Sir  HUMPHREY  GILBERT  a  patent 
for  the  discovering,  occupying,  and  peopling 
of  "  such  remote,  heathen,  and  barbarous 
countries  as -were  not  actually  possessed  by 
any  Christian  people."* 

*  Hakluyt,  Hi.,  135.    Forster,  292. 


GILBERT.  275 

[Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  was  descended 
from  an  ancient  family  in  Devonshire.  His 
father  was  Otho  Gilbert,  Esq.,  of  Greenway, 
and  his  mother  Catharine,  daughter  of  Sir 
Philip  Champernon,  of  Modbury.  Hum- 
phrey, born  at  Compton,  in  Devonshire, 
1539,  was  the  second  son,  yet  inherited  a 
considerable  estate.  He  received  his  early 
education  at  Eton,  whence  he  was  removed 
to  Oxford.  While  yet  a  boy  he  was  intro- 
duced by  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Ashley,  to  Queen 
Elizabeth,  who  is  said  to  have  been  much 
pleased  with  his  studious  temper  and  court- 
ly behaviour,  and  recommended  him  to  the 
especial  favour  of  Sir  Henry  Sidney,  after- 
ward lord-deputy  of  Ireland.  The  turn  of 
his  mind  and  studies  was  towards  the  art 
of  war,  navigation,  and  the  like,  and,  as  he 
diligently  applied  himself  to  these,  he  soon 
distinguished  himself  for  courage,  learning, 
knowledge,  and  practical  skill. 

Opportunities  were  not  wanting  in  those 
days  for  the  employment  and  display  of 
qualities  such  as  young  Gilbert  possessed, 
and,  being  ambitious  of  distinction,  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  use  them.  The  first  expedi- 
tion in  which  he  gained  peculiar  notice  was 
that  to  New-Haven,  in  which  his  coolness, 


276  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

prudence,  and  daring  raised  high  hopes  of 
his  future  eminence.  He  was  soon  appointed 
colonel  in  Munster,*  a  post  of  great  difficulty 
and  danger,  "  where  he  performed  great 
things  with  a  handful  of  men,  and  became 
more  dreaded  by  the  Irish  than  any  English- 
man employed  in  that  service.  By  his  in- 
dustry and  address  he  composed  the  stirs 
raised  by  the  MacCarthies,  and  by  his  valour 
and  activity  drove  the  Butlers  out  of  his  prov- 
ince when  they  swerved  from  their  duty,  and 
forced  James  Fitz  Maurice,  the  greatest  cap- 
tain among  the  Irish,  to  abandon  his  country 
and  seek  safety  abroad."* 

In  the  Parliament  of  April  2d,  1571,  13tK 
Eliz.,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lower  House 
from  Compton,  his  native  place. 

It  is  remarkable  that,  while  Sir  Humphrey 
Gilbert  evidently  gave  much  *.mie  and  atten- 
tion to  the  subjects  of  cosmography  and  mari- 
time discovery,  we  have  no  record  of  early  ad- 
ventures by  sea.  His  "Discourse  to  prove  a 
passage  by  the  Northwest  to  Cathaia  and  the 
East  Indies"  was  first  published  in  15764  It 

*  [Fuller,  in  his  Worthies  of  Devon,  says  in  1569. — H.] 
t  [Campbell's  Lives  of  the  Admirals,  vol.  ii.     See  also  Hol- 

linshed,  vi.,  366-7. — H.J 

t  [Campbell,  ii.,  17.     The  discourse  is  preserved  in  Hakluyt, 

vol.  ii.,  p.  11-24.— H.I 


GILBERT.  277 

is  a  methodical  treatise,  in  which  he  affirms 
that  America  is  an  island,  bounded  on  the 
north  side  by  "  the  sea  that  severeth  it  from 
Groneland,  thorow  which  Northern  Seas  the 
passage  lyeth."  This  he  attempts  to  prove 
"  by  authoritie,  by  reason,  by  experience  of 
sundry  men's  travailes,  by  circumstance,"  &c., 
&c.  The  arguments  are  not  all  very  conclu- 
sive. In  his  chapter  of  authorities  he  refers  to 
Plato,  Philo,  and  Aristotle.  Yet  the  work 
evinces  much  learning  and  ability,  as  well  as 
enthusiasm  and  credulity  ;  and  he  at  least  de- 
serves credit  for  his  confident  anticipation  of 
what  it  has  been  reserved  for  the  enterprise 
of  our  own  day  to  demonstrate.  He  had 
also  written  another  "  Simple  Discourse  of 
Navigation,"  on  which  he  had  "not  a  little 
travelled,"  which  is  now  lost.  He  concludes 
the  discourse  we  have  described  with  this 
sentiment,  "  That  he  is  not  worthy  to  live  at 
all  that  for  feare  or  danger  of  death  shunneth 
his  countrie's  service  and  his  owne  honour, 
seeing  death  is  inevitable,  and  the  fame  of 
vertue  immortall." 

The  queen,  who  seldom  failed  to  distin- 
guish merit,  bestowed  on  him,  from  time  to 
time,  the  most  encouraging  notices.  She 
knighted  him,  gave  him  one  of  her  maids  of 


278  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

honour  in  marriage,  and,  upon  his  preparing 
for  his  voyage,  sent  him  a  golden  anchor 
with  a  large  pearl  at  the  peak,  which  he  ever 
after  wore  at  his  breast  as  a  singular  honour. 
Raleigh  accompanied  this  present,  which  was 
sent  through  his  hands,  with  this  letter  :  "  I 
have  sent  you  a  token  from  her  majesty,  an 
anchor  guided  by  a  lady,  as  you  see  ;  and, 
farther,  her  highness  willed  me  to  send  you 
word  that  she  wished  you  as  great  hap  and 
safety  to  your  ship  as  if  herself  were  there  in 
person,  desiring  you  to  have  care  of  yourself 
as  of  that  which  she  tendereth.  Farther,  she 
commandeth  that  you  leave  your  picture  with 
me,"  &c.*  Sir  Humphrey  is  represented  as  a 
gentleman  of  winning  and  courteous  manners, 
commanding  esteem  and  respect  at  first  sight ; 
"  his  stature  beyond  the  ordinary  size,  his 
complexion  sanguine,  and  his  constitution  ro- 
bust."! Hollinshed,  or,  rather,  Hooker,  in 
the  supplement  to  Hollinshed,  vi.,J367,  says 
he  was  "  a  man  of  higher  stature  than  the 
common  sort ;  of  a  complexion  cholerike ; 
from  his  childhood  of  a  verie  pregnant  wit 
and  good  disposition." 

*  [Southey's  Lives  of  British  Admirals,  vol.  iv.,  218.     Cay- 
ley's  Life  of  Raleigh,  i.,  31.— H.] 

t  [Haliburton's  Nova  Scotia,  i.,  7,  note. — H.] 


GILBERT.  279 

The  patent  given  by  Elizabeth  to  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert  was  dated  June  11,  1578, 
and  not,  as  stated  by  Dr.  Belknap,  1579.* 
The  provisions  of  the  charter  thus  granted 
deserve  notice,  as  it  was  one  of  the  first  in 
the  long  series  of  colony  charters  granted  by 
the  crown  of  England,  and  as  it  shows  what 
notions  of  colonization  prevailed  in  those 
days.  After  the  general  license  to  discover 
any  countries  not  possessed  by  any  Christian 
prince  or  people,  it  bestows  the  "  soil  of  the 
same,  with  the  royalties  and  jurisdiction,  upon 
him,  and  his  heirs,  and  assigns  forever,  with 
power  to  dispose  of  them,  or  any  part  of  them, 
in  fee  simple  ;  to  transport  any  persons  thith- 
er, unless  specially  restrained  by  the  crown ; 
authority  to  expel  by  force  all  persons  who 
should  attempt  to  inhabit  within  the  space  of 
two  hundred  leagues ;  to  capture  all  who 
should  trade  there  without  his  license ;  to 
punish  at  his  discretion  in  all  causes,  civil, 
criminal,  and  capital ;  and  to  make  laws 
agreeable  to  the  policy  of  England  and  the 

*  [Chalmers,  p.  4,  says  it  was  given  in  March  ;  Foster,  1.  c. , 
dates  it  in  1578.  Hazard,  State  Papers,  vol.  i.,  p.  24,  and  Hak- 
luyt,  vol.  iii.,  p.  137,  who  are  better  authority,  and  who  give  the 
patent  at  length,  concur  with  Dr.  Robertson  in  dating  it  June 
llth,  1578.— H.] 


280  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

Christian  faith  professed  in  the  Church  of 
England."] 

In  consequence  of  this  grant,  many  of  his 
friends  joined  him,  and  preparations  were 
made  for  an  expedition,  which  promised  to 
be  highly  advantageous.  But,  before  the 
fleet  was  ready,  some  declined  and  retracted 
their  engagements.  Gilbert,  with  a  few  com- 
panions, sailed  ;*  but  a  violent  storm,  in  which 
one  of  the  ships  foundered,  caused  him  to  re- 
turn. This  misfortune  involved  him  in  debt, 
and  he  had  no  way  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
his  creditors  but  by  grants  of  land  in  Amer- 
ica. By  such  means  the  country  was  not 
likely  to  be  peopled,  nor  the  conditions  of  his 
patent  fulfilled.  He  was  obliged,  therefore,  to 
sell  his  estate  before  he  could  make  another 
attempt ;  andy  after  long  solicitation,  being 
assisted  by  some  friends,  he  set  sail  from 
Plymouth  with  five  ships, t  carrying  two  hun- 

*  [Sir  Walter  Raleigh  was  one  of  these  companions. — Cay- 
ley,  i.,  17.  This  voyage  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  early 
in  the  summer  of  1579.  Few  particulars  of  it  have  remained 
to  us.  One  of  the  ships  was  lost  in  "  a  smart  action  with  the 
Spaniards." — Cayley,  ubi  supra. — H.] 

t  [The  fleet  would  hardly  now  be  deemed  adequate  to  such 
an  enterprise.  It  consisted  of  the  Delight,  120  tons,  the  bark 
Raleigh,  200  tons,  the  Golden  Hind,  40  tons,  the  Swallow,  40 
tons,  and  the  Squirrel,  10  tons.  Some  of  the  crude  notions  of 
the  adventurers  are  exhibited  in  one  specimen  of  the  cargo 


GILBERT.  281 

dred  and  sixty  men,  on  the  eleventh  of  June, 
1583,  and  on  the  eleventh  of  July*  arrived 
off  the  bay  of  St.  John,  on  the  eastern  coast 
of  Newfoundland. 

Thirty-six  fishing  vessels  were  then  in  the 
harbour,  who  refused  him  admittance.  He 
prepared  to  enter  by  force  of  arms ;  but 
previously  sent  in  his  boat  with  his  com- 
mission from  Queen  Elizabeth,  on  sight  of 

"  Besides,"  says  Edward  Hayes,  the  captain  of  the  Golden 
Hind,  and  author  of  the  narration  in  Hakluyt,  and  who  writes 
himself  "  gentleman  and  principal  actour  in  the  same  voyage," 
"for  solace  of  our  people  and  allurement  of  the  savages,  we 
were  provided  of  rausike  in  good  varietie,  not  omitting  the  least 
toyes,  as  morris-dancers,  hobby-horses,  and  May-like  conceits, 
to  delight  the  savage  people,  whom  we  intended  to  win  by  all 
fair  means  possible.  And  to  that  end  we  were  indifferentlie  fur- 
nished of  all  petty  haberdasherie  wares  to  barter  with  those  sim- 
ple people."  The  bark  Raleigh  abandoned  the  expedition  soon 
after  it  sailed,  an  infectious  disease  having  broken  out  among 
the  crew. — H.] 

*  [The  date  in  the  text  must,  I  think,  be  an  error.  Forster, 
indeed,  p.  293,  says,  "  on  the  llth  of  July  they  saw  land  ;" 
but  he  could  hardly  have  been  detained  three  weeks  (July  1 1th 
to  Aug.  3d)  "  off  the  bay"  by  fishing  vessels.  And  Hayes,  whose 
account  is  the  original,  Hakluyt,  iii.,  149,  says,  "  Tuesday,  the 
30th  of  July"  (seven  weeks  after  sailing),  "we  got  sight  of  land." 
See  also  a  letter  of  Stephen  Parmenius  from  St.  John's  to  Hak- 
luyt.— Ib.,  162.  They  then  sailed  south  along  the  coast  by 
Bacalaos,  &,c.,  some  twenty  leagues,  ib.,  150,  and  reached  the 
harbour  of  St.  John's  Aug.  3d. — Hakluyt,  iii.,  165,  and  Gilbert's 
letter  to  Sir  George  Peckham. — H.] 


282  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

which  they  submitted,  and  he  sailed  into  the 
port.* 

The  intention  of  this  voyage  was  to  take 
formal  possession  of  the  island,  and  of  the 
fishery  on  its  banks,  for  the  crown  of  Eng- 
land. This  was  done  in  the  following  man- 
ner :f 

On  Monday,  the  fifth  of  August,  Admiral 
Gilbert  had  his  tent  pitched  on  shore,  in  sight 
of  all  the  shipping;  and,  being  attended  by 
his  own  people,  summoned  the  merchants  and 
masters  of  vessels,  both  Englishmen  and  oth- 
ers, to  be  present  at  the  ceremony.  When 
they  were  all  assembled,  his  commission  was 
read,  and  interpreted  to  the  foreigners.  Then 
a  turf  and  a  twig  were  delivered  to  him, 
which  he  received  with  a  hazel  wand.  Im- 
mediately proclamation  was  made,  that  by 
virtue  of  his  commission  from  the  queen,  he 
took  possession,  for  the  crown  of  England, 
of  the  harbour  of  St.  John,  and  two  hundred 
leagues  every  way  round  it. 

He  then  published  three  laws  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  territory.  By  the  first,  public 
worship  was  established  according  to  the 
mode  of  the  Church  of  England.  By  the 

*  Stith's  History  of  Virginia,  p.  6. 

t  Hakluyt,  iii.,  151,  165,  . 


G  I  L  B  E  E  T.  283 

second,  the  attempting  of  anything  prejudi- 
,cial  to  her  majesty's  title  was  declared  trea- 
son, according  to  the  laws  of  England.  By 
the  third,  the  uttering  of  words  to  the  dishon- 
our of  her  majesty  was  to  be  punished  with  the 
loss  of  ears  and  the  confiscation  of  property. 

The  proclamation  being  finished,  assent 
and  obedience  were  signified  by  loud  accla- 
mations. A  pillar  was  erected,  bearing  a 
plate  of  lead,  on  which  the  queen's  arms  were 
engraven  ;  and  several  of  the  merchants  took 
grants  of  land,  in  fee  farm,  on  which  they 
might  cure  their  fish,  as  they  had  done  before. 

A  tax  of  provision,  by  her  majesty's  author- 
ity, was  levied  on  all  the  ships.  This  tax 
was  readily  paid  ;  besides  which,  the  admiral 
received  presents  of  wine,  fruits,  and  other 
refreshments,  chiefly  from  the  Portuguese. 

This  formal  possession,  taken  by  Sir  Hum- 
phrey Gilbert  in  consequence  of  the  discov- 
ery of  the  Cabots,  is  the  foundation  of  the 
right  and  title  of  the  crown  of  England  to  the 
territory  of  Newfoundland  and  to  the  fishery 
on  its  banks. 

As  far  as  the  time  would  permit,  a  survey 
was  made  of  the  country,  one  principal  ob- 
ject of  which  was  the  discovery  of  mines  and 

minerals.     The  mineralogist  was  a  Saxoii, 
I.— Y 


284  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

who  is  characterized  as  "  honest  and  reli- 
gious." This  man  brought  to  the  admiral 
first  a  specimen  of  iron,  then  a  kind  of  ore, 
which,  on  the  peril  of  his  life,  he  protested  to 
be  silver.  The  admiral  enjoined  secrecy,  and 
sent  it  on  board,  intending  to  have  it  assayed 
when  they  should  get  to  sea. 

The  company  being  dispersed  abroad,  some 
were  taken  sick  and  died  ;  some  hid  them- 
selves in  the  woods,  with  an  intention  to  go 
home  by  the  first  opportunity ;  and  others  cut 
one  of  the  vessels  out  of  the  harbour  and  car- 
ried her  off. 

On  the  twentieth  of  August,  the  admiral, 
having  collected  as  many  of  his  men  as  could 
be  found,  and  ordered  one  of  his  vessels  to 
stay  and  take  off  the  sick,  set  sail  with  three 
ships,  the  Delight,  the  Hind,  and  the  Squir- 
rel. He  coasted  along  the  southern  part  of 
the  island,  with  a  view  to  make  Cape  Breton 
and  the  Isle  of  Sable,  on  which  last  he  had 
heard  that  cattle  and  swine  had  been  landed 
by  the  Portuguese  thirty  years  before. 

Being  entangled  among  shoals  and  in- 
volved in  fogs,  the  Delight  struck  on  a  sand- 
bank and  was  lost.*  Fourteen  men  only 

*  [There  is  somewhat  of  sad  romance  in  the  narrative  of  thir 
event.  '^The  evening  was  faire  and  pleasant,  yet  not  withouf 


GILBERT. 

sa\ed  themselves  in  a  boat ;  the  loss  of  the 
Saxon  refiner  was  particularly  noted,*  and 
nothing  farther  was  heard  of  the  silver  ore. 
This  misfortune  determined  the  admiral  to  re- 
turn to  England  without  attempting  to  make 
any  farther  discoveries,  or  to  take  possession 
of  any  other  part  of  America.  On  his  pas- 
sage he  met  with  bad  weather.  The  Squirrel 
frigate,  in  which  Sir  Humphrey  sailed,  was 
overloaded  on  her  deck  ;  but  he  persisted  in 
taking  his  passage  in  her,  notwithstanding  the 
remonstrances  of  his  friends  in  the  Hind,  who 
would  have  persuaded  him  to  sail  with  them.t 

token  of  storme  to  ensue,  and  most  part  of  this,  Wednesday,  night, 
like  the  svvanne  that  singeth  before  her  death,  they  in  the  Ad- 
miral, or  Delight,  continued  in  sounding  of  trumpets,  with 
drummes  and  fifes  ;  also  winding  the  cornets,  haughtboyes  ; 
and  in  the  end  of  their  jolitie,  left  with  the  battel  and  ringing  of 
dolefull  knels."  "  Thursday,  the  29th  of  August,"  they  perish- 
ed.—Hakluyt,  iii.,  156.— H.] 

*  [A  greater  loss  was  that  of  Stephen  Parmenius,  a  native  of 
Buda,  in  Hungary,  "who,  of  pietie  and  zeale  to  good  attempts, 
adventured  in  this  action,  minding  to  record  in  the  Latine 
tongue  the  gests  and  things  worthy  of  remembrance  happening 
in  this  discoverie  to  the  honour  of  our  nation,  the  same  being 
adorned  with  the  eloquent  stile  of  this  orator  and  rare  poet  of 
our  time." — Hakluyt,  iii.,  156.  He  addressed  to  Gilbert  a 
poem  on  this  voyage,  in  Latin  hexameters,  which  is  preserved 
— Ib.,  138-143.— H.] 

t  [The  Squirrel  was  of  only  ten  tons  burden,  and  Sir  Hum- 
phrey had  taken  passage  in  her  as  "  being  most  convenient  to 
discover  upon  the  coast,  and  to  search  in  every  harbour  or 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

From  the  circumstance  of  his  returning  from 
his  first  voyage  without  accomplishing  its  ob- 
ject, it  had  been  reported  that  he  was  afraid 
of  the  sea ;  had  he  yielded  to  the  solicitation 
of  his  friends,  the  stigma  might  have  been  in- 
delible. 

When  the  wind  abated  and  the  vessels 
were  near  enough,  the  admiral  was  seen  con- 
stantly sitting  in  the  stern  with  a  book  in  his 
hand.  On  the  ninth  of  September  he  was 
seen  for  the  last  time,  and  was  heard  by  the 
people  in  the  Hind  to  say,  "  We  are  as  near 
heaven  by  sea  as  by  land."*  In  the  follow- 
ing night  the  lights  of  his  ship  suddenly  dis- 
appeared.! The  people  in  the  other  vessel 
kept  a  good  look-out  for  him  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  voyage.  On  the  twenty-sec- 
ond of  September  they  arrived,  through  much 
tempest  and  peril,  at  Falmouth.  But  nothing 
more  was  seen  or  heard  of  the  admiral. $ 

creeke,  which  a  great  ship  could  not  doe." — Hakluyt,  iii.,  154. 
-H-] 

*  [A  speech,  says  Captain  Hayes,  "  well  becoming  a  soldiei 
resolute  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  I  can  testify  he  was." — H.] 

t  ["  About  the  same  time  was  swallowed  up  by  the  ocean  Sit 
Humphrey  Gilbert,  knight,  a  quick  and  lively-spirited  man,  fa- 
mous for  his  knowledge  in  matters  relating  both  to  war  and 
peace."— Camden,Eliz.,  287.— H.] 

t  [Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  had  two  brothers,  John  and  Adrian, 
both  knighted,  and  both  connected  with  schemes  of  maritime 


GILBERT.  287 

While  his  zeal  for  the  interest  of  the  crown 
and  the  settlements  of  its  American  domin- 
ions has  been  largely  commended,  he  has 
been  blamed  for  his  temerity  in  lavishing  his 
own  and  other  men's  fortunes  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  his  designs.  This  is  not  the  only  in- 
stance of  a  waste  of  property  in  consequence 
of  sanguine  expectations,  which,  though  ru- 
inous to  the  first  adventurers,  has  produced 
solid  advantages  to  their  successors. 

Dr.  Forster  has  a  remark  on  one  of  the  in- 
cidents of  this  voyage  which  is  worthy  of  rep- 
etition and  remembrance.  "  It  is  very  clear," 
says  he,  "  in  the  instance  of  the  Portuguese 
having  stocked  the  Isle  of  Sable  with  domes- 
tic animals,  that  the  discoverers  of  the  New 
World  were  men  of  humanity,  desirous  of 
providing  for  such  unfortunate  people  as 

discovery  and  foreign  plantation.  Of  Sir  John  some  account  is 
given  by  Belknap  in  the  Life  of  Gorges.  Adrian  obtained  a 
patent  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  dated  February  6,  1583,  granting 
him  privileges  in  respect  to  a  discovery  of  a  passage  to  China 
by  the  north,  northwest,  or  northeast.  In  this  instrument  he  is 
described  as  "  Adrian  Gylbert,  of  Sandridge,  in  the  county  of 
Devon,  gentleman,"  and  the  company  associated  with  him  (Ra- 
leigh and  Sanderson)  were  styled  "  the  colleagues  of  the  fellow- 
ship for  the  discovery  of  the  Northwest  Passage."  Voyages 
were  made  by  Davis  and  others  unc'er  the  patronage  of  this 
company.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife  in  1603, 
mentions  Sir  Adrian  as  owing  him  £600. — H.J 


288  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

might  happen  to  be  cast  away  on  those 
coasts.  The  false  policy  of  modern  times  is 
callous  and  tyrannical,  exporting  dogs  to  de- 
vour them.  Are  these  the  happy  consequen- 
ces of  the  so-much-boasted  enlightened  state 
of  the  present  age  and  refinement  of  manners 
peculiar  to  our  time  ?  Father  of  mercies, 
when  will  philanthropy  again  take  up  her 
abode  in  the  breasts  of  men,  of  Christians 
and  the  rulers  of  this  earth '" 


RALEIGH.  289 


VIII.  WALTER  RALEIGH  AND  RICH- 
ARD  GRENVILLE. 

THE  distinguished  figure  which  the  life  of 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  makes  in  the  history  of 
England  renders  unnecessary  any  other  ac- 
count of  him  here  than  what  respects  his  ad- 
ventures in  America,  and  particularly  in  Vir- 
ginia, of  which  colony  he  is  acknowledged  to 
have  been  the  unfortunate  founder. 

[The  account  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  given 
by  Dr.  Belknap  is  almost  confined  to  his 
proceedings  in  the  early  settlement  of  Virgin- 
ia. The  readers  of  these  volumes  may  nat- 
urally expect  some  farther  notice  of  "  that 
rare,  renowned  knight,  whose  fame,"  says 
one  of  his  contemporaries,*  "shall  contend  in 
longevity  with  this  island  itself,  yea,  with  that 
great  world  which  he  historizeth  so  gallant- 
ly." He  was  a  courtier  of  singular  gallantry 
and  grace,  a  scholar  of  varied  learning  and 
accomplishments,  a  soldier  of  chivalrous  tem- 
per and  unstained  honour,  a  statesman  of  large 
views,  an  adventurer  of  great  hardihood  and 

*  [James  Howel.  in  a  letter  to  Carew  Raleigh  — H.] 


290  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

enthusiasm.  His  long  imprisonment,  his  pa- 
tient suffering,  and  the  hard  measure  of  his 
death,  have  given  a  tender  and  touching  in- 
terest to  a  history  otherwise  full  of  attractive 
incident.  He  lived,  as  the  attorney-general 
told  him  in  his  last  sentence,  like  a  star,  and 
like  a  star  which  troubleth  the  firmament  he 
fell* 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  or,  as  he  wrote  the 
name,  Ralegh,  was  the  fourth  son  of  Walter 
Raleigh,  Esq.,  of  Fardel,  near  Plymouth. 
His  mother  was  Catharine,  daughter  of  Sir 
Philip  Champernon,  and  widow  of  Otho  Gil- 
bert, of  Compton,  Devonshire.  He  was  thus 
half-brother  of  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert.  At 
the  time  of  his  birth,  1552,  his  father  was  re- 
siding at  a  farm  called  Hayes,  in  the  parish 
of  Budley,  Devonshire,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Otter.  Of  his  childhood  we  have  no  memo- 

*  [The  principal  memoirs  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  are  those  by 
Oldys,  prefixed  to  his  edition  of  Raleigh's  History  of  the  World ; 
by  Birch,  in  an  edition  of  his  Miscellaneous  Writings ;  by  Cayley, 
2  vols.  4to,  London,  1805 ;  by  Southey,  in  his  Lives  of  English 
Admirals,  vol.  iv. ;  by  P.  F.  Tytler,  in  the  Edinburgh  Cabinet  Li- 
brary ;  and  by  Mrs.  Thompson  ;  all  of  which,  unless  it  be  Mrs. 
Thompson's,  which  we  had  not  seen  till  this  article  was  in  press, 
are  to  be  read  with  caution,  as  they  show  more  or  less  clearly 
some  bias  in  the  writer.  Southey,  for  example,  we  think,  under 
values  Sir  Walter's  character  in  respect  of  honesty  and  truth 

-HO 


RALEIGH.  291 

rial.  He  became  a  commoner  of  Oriel  Col- 
lege, Oxford,  about  1568,  "  and  his  natural 
parts  being  strangely  advanced  by  academi- 
cal learning  under  the  care  of  an  excellent 
tutor,  he  became  the  ornament  of  the  juniors, 
and  was  worthily  esteemed  a  proficient  in 
oratory  and  philosophy."*  Lord  Bacon  has 
preserved  an  anecdote  of  him  while  here, 
which  illustrates  both  his  temper  and  his  wit. 
A  cowardly  fellow,  who  was  an  excellent 
archer,  asked  him  how  he  should  revenge 
himself  on  one  who  had  grossly  insulted  him. 
"  Challenge  him  to  a  match  of  shooting,"  was 
the  reply.  It  is  uncertain  how  long  he  re- 
mained at  the  University,  and  still  more  un- 
certain whether,  as  some  have  asserted,  he 
became  a  student  of  the  Middle  Temple. 
His  active  temper  led  him  to  mingle  early  in 
the  business  of  life,  and  his  ambition  could 
hardly  be  satisfied  with  mere  scholastic  hon- 
ours. 

The  state  of  public  affairs,  both  in  England 
and  on  the  Continent,  might  well  arouse  a 
spirit  less  ardent  and  adventurous  than  that 
of  Raleigh. 

Sympathizing  with  the  persecuted  Protest- 
ants, the  queen  made  a  loan  of  money  to  the 

*  [Wood's  Athens  Oxonienses. — H.] 
1—7 


292  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

Queen  of  Navarre,  and  permitted  a  company 
of  one  hundred  selected  volunteers,  all  gen- 
tlemen, under  Henry  Champernon,  to  go  to 
France  to  her  assistance.  The  motto  on 
their  banner  was,  FINEM  DET  MIHI  VIRTUS  : 
*•  Let  valour  decide"  In  this  troop  was  young 
Raleigh,  then  but  seventeen  years  of  age. 
They  arrived  at  the  French  camp  in  Octo- 
ber, 1569,  and  were  received  by  the  queen 
and  princes  with  great  distinction.  We  can- 
not doubt,  though  no  traces  of  it  remain,  that 
this  body,  animated  alike  by  martial  enthusi- 
asm and  religious  zeal,  did  such  gallant  ser- 
vice as  became  gentlemen  and  soldiers.  Ra- 
leigh remained  in  France  till  1575,  more  than 
five  years.  We  find  here  and  there,  in  the 
writings  of  his  late  years,  allusions  to  his  resi- 
dence there,  which  show  that  he  studied  with 
deep  interest  the  stirring  and  troubled  events 
of  those  sadly-agitated  Drears.  The  whole  pe- 
riod was  crowded  with  marches  and  battles, 
sieges,  negotiations,  stratagems,  treacheries, 
and  massacres ;  all  that  could  captivate  and 
instruct  the  youthful  soldier  and  the  future 
politician.  He  was  present  in  the  flight  on 
the  Plains  of  Montcontour,  and  witnessed,  in 
the  security  of  the  British  embassage,  the  fear- 
ful slaughter  on  St.  Bartholomew's  Day.  An 


RALEIGH.  293 

attendant  on  the  brilliant  warfare  of  Coligny, 
he  could  not  but  learn  the  skilful  use  of  arms  ; 
and  the  daily  companion  of  the  noble  and 
chivalrous  warriors  who  so  ably  sustained  the 
cause  of  the  dreaded  Huguenots,  he  added 
personal  graces  and  the  accomplishments  of 
manner  to  his  unsuspected  courage.  It  was 
a  school  of  valour  and  of  discipline,  and  Ra- 
leigh was  no  negligent  observer  of  its  les- 
sons. 

On  his  return  to  England  we  find  him  a 
short  time  in  the  Middle  Temple,  whether  as 
a  student  or  mere  resident  is  not  clear,  though 
probably  the  latter.  He  seems  to  have  de- 
voted his  brief  leisure  to  the  Muses,  and  to 
have  indulged  in  that  kind  of  pastoral  ama- 
tory poetry  which  was  then  so  much  in  vogue. 
Some  of  his  specimens  which  we  have  are  of 
far  more  than  ordinary  merit.  Yet  an  ad- 
venture in  arms  had  more  attractions  for  him, 
and  in  1578  he  accompanied  Sir  John  Norris, 
with  a  body  of  English  troops,  to  the  Nether- 
lands. A  war  was  then  raging  there  between 
Don  John  of  Austria  and  the  States,  who  ha- 
ted him  for  his  cruelty  and  feared  him  for  his 
treachery.  The  queen  assisted  the  States 
with  men  and  money.  Of  Raleigh's  service 
here  we  have  no  information.  He  was  prob- 


294  AMERICAN    BIOGEAPHY. 

ably  in  the  famous  battle  of  Rimenant,  in 
which  the  English,  "  being  more  sensible  of 
a  little  heat  of  the  sun  than  any  cold  fears  of 
death,"  threw  off  their  armour  and  clothes, 
and  gained  a  victory  in  their  shirts.  He  soon 
returned  to  England,  and  in  1579  joined  the 
first  and  unsuccessful  voyage  of  Sir  Humphrey 
Gilbert.  This  was  the  first  in  that  long  se- 
ries of  maritime  adventures  in  which  he  after- 
ward became  so  justly  renowned. 

Raleigh  was  now  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  had  seen  much  and  varied  service,  and 
had  diligently  profited  by  his  experience  and 
observation.  Only  five  of  the  twenty-four 
hours,  we  are  told,  were  devoted  to  sleep, 
four  were  regularly  employed  in  study,  and 
in  his  Jand  and  sea.  expeditions  he  voluntarily 
shared  the  labours,  hardships,  and  hazards  of 
the  common  soldier  and  sailor.*  Abilities 
like  his,  thus  trained,  could  not  long  remain 
in  obscurity  or  unemployed. 

Ireland  was  now  ripe  for  insurrection.  The 
Catholic  population  were  oppressed,  their 
chiefs  excluded  from  office  for  their  religion  ; 
the  pope  had  claimed  it  as  belonging  to  the 
Holy  See,  and  scattered  his  emissaries  all 
over  it  to  excite  the  faithful  to  revolt ;  and 
*  [Cayley's  Life  of  Raleigh,  i.,  17.— H.] 


RALEIGH.  295 

Philip  of  Spain  stood  ready  with  men  and 
money  to  encourage  the  discontented  and 
aid  the  insurgent.  Lord  Grey  was  sent  over, 
August,  1580,  as  deputy,  with  orders  to  make 
quick  and  thorough  work,  and  Raleigh  served 
under  him  as  captain  of  a  troop  of  horse. 
The  chronicles  of  the  times  make  honourable 
mention  of  his  services.  His  duties  were  dif- 
ficult, often  painful,  and  eminently  perilous  ; 
to  capture  a  rebellious  or  suspected  chieftain, 
to  hunt  outlaws,  to  disperse  the  hourly  gath- 
erings of  half-naked  but  exasperated  peas- 
ants, to  burn,  to  pillage,  to  kill.  He  was  in 
the  country  of  an  enemy  who  knew  every 
pass',  beset  every  road,  and  would  have  shot 
him  down  as  they  would  a  deer.  Every  day 
called  for  caution,  skill,  and  desperate  cour- 
age. His  escapes  were  often  marvellous,  and 
his  success  not  less  so.  When  Smerwick  was 
taken,  the  garrison  were  all  put  to  the  sword 
in  cold  blood,  and  Raleigh,  as  one  of  the  cap- 
tains having  the  ward  of  that  day,  was  obliged 
to  superintend  the  butchery.  In  the  spring 
of  1581  he  was  temporarily  in  the  commis- 
sion for  the  government  of  Munster,  and 
about  the  same  time  became  a  friend  of  Ed- 
mund Spenser,  then  residing  at  Kilcolman. 
But  even  this  sympathy  of  poetic  genius  could 


296  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

not  relieve  the  weariness  of  a  service  which 
had  become  odious  to  him.  "  I  have  spent 
some  time  here,"  he  wrote  to  the  Earl  of  Lei 
cester  in  August,  1581,  "  under  the  deputy, 
in  such  poor  place  and  charge  as,  were  it  not 
for  that  I  knew  him  to  be  as  if  yours,  I  would 
disdain  it  as  much  as  to  keep  sheep."  Not 
long  after,  probably,  he  was  allowed  to  return 
from  what  he  calls  "  this  commonwealth,  or, 
rather,  common -wo." 

The  letter  which  we  have  quoted  above 
proves  some  passages  of  regard  between  Ra- 
leigh and  the  noble  Earl  of  Leicester.  The 
favour  of  that  powerful  nobleman  may  have 
aided  his  early  reception  at  court,  though*  the 
report  of  his  late  services  was  enough  to 
commend  him  to  the  notice  of  Elizabeth. 
His  own  abilities  were  more  to  him  than  any 
patronage.  He  is  said  to  have  owed  his  in- 
troduction to  a  singular  and  romantic  incident. 
Fuller*  relates  that  "  this  Captain  Raleigh, 
coming  out  of  Ireland  to  the  English  court  in 
good  habit  (his  clothes  being  then  a  consid- 
erable part  of  his  estate),  found  the  queen 
walking,  till,  meeting  with  a  plashy  place,  she 
seemed  to  scruple  going  thereon.  Presently 
Raleigh  cast  and  spread  his  new  plush  cloak 

*  [Fuller's  Worthies  of  England,  Devon.,  i.  419.— H.] 


K  A  L  E  I  G  H.  297 

on  the  ground,  whereon  the  queen  trod  gen- 
tly, rewarding  him  afterward  with  many  suits 
for  his  so  free  and  seasonable  a  tender  of  so 
fair  a  footcloth."  This  story  is  gravely  told, 
and  is  in  keeping  with  the  temper  and  char- 
acter of  the  parties.  Certainly  she  soon  ad- 
mitted him  to  her  court,  and  employed  him 
in  several  honorary  offices.  He  was  one  of 
the  gentlemen  appointed  to  attend  Simier.  the 
agent  of  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  to  France  ;  and 
when  the  negotiations  for  the  queen's  mar- 
riage with  Anjou  were  broken  off  in  1582,  he 
was  selected,  with  Leicester,  Sidney,  and  oth- 
ers, to  form  the  duke's  escort  to  Antwerp. 
He  there  enjoyed  the  honour  of  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and 
brought  a  special  message  from  him  to  the 
queen  on  his  return.  These  affairs  required  no 
great  ability  or  skill,  yet  a  graceful  habit 
and  a  pleasing  address  might  make  much  of 
them.  He  received  clearer  tokens  of  royal 
favour  in  consequence  of  the  trial  before 
the  Privy  Council  of  a  disagreement  between 
him  and  Lord  Grey,  the  late  deputy  of  Ire- 
and,  of  which  Sir  Robert  Naunton*  gives 
this  account :  "I  am  somewhat  confident 
that  among  the  second  causes  of  his  growth 

*  [Fragmenta  Regalia,  109.— H.] 


298  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

was  the  variance  between  him  and  my  Lord- 
general  Grey,  which  drew  them  both  over  to 
the  council-table,  there  to  plead  their  own 
causes  ;  where  what  advantage  he  had  in  the 
case  in  controversy  I  know  noty  but  he  had 
much  the  better  in  the  manner  of  telling  his 
tale,  insomuch  as  the  queen  and  the  lords 
took  no  slight  mark  of  the  man  and  his 
parts,  for  from  thence  he  came  to  be  known, 
and  to  have  access  to  the  lords  ;  .  .  .  whether 
or  not  my  Lord  of  Leicester  had  then  cast  in 
a  good  word  for  him  to  the  queen,  I  do  not 
determine ;  but  true  it  is,  he  had  gotten  the 
queen's  ear  in  a  trice,  and  she  began  to  be  ta- 
ken with  his  elocution,  and  loved  to  hear  his 
reasons  to  her  demands.  And  the  truth  is,, 
she  took  him  for  a  kind  of  oracle."  The 
queen  was  doubtless  pleased  with  his  ready 
wit,  and  perhaps  wished  to  abate  the  hopes 
of  some  other  aspirants  for  her  favour.  Naun- 
ton  adds,  "  Those  that  he  relied  on  began  to 
be  sensible  of  their  own  supplantation,  and  to 
project  his."] 

He  was  half-brother,  by  the  mother's  side, 
to  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  and  was  at  the  ex- 
pense of  fitting  out  one  of  the  ships  of  his 
squadron.  Notwithstanding  the  unhappy  fate 
of  his  brother,  he  persisted  in  his  design  of 


RALEIGH.  299 

making  a  settlement  in  America.  Being  a 
favourite  in  the  court  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  he 
obtained  a  patent,  bearing  date  the  25th  of 
March,  1584,  for  the  discovering  and  plant- 
ing of  any  lands  and  countries  which  were 
not  possessed  by  any  Christian  prince  or 
nation.* 

About  the  same  time  the  queen  granted  him 
another  patent,  to  license  the  vending  of  wine 
throughout  the  kingdom,  that  by  the  profits 
thence  arising  he  might  be  able  to  bear  the 
expense  of  his  intended  plan  of  colonization. 
Farther  to  strengthen  his  interest,  he  engaged 
the  assistance  of  two  wealthy  kinsmen,  Sir 
Richard  Grenville  and  William  Sanderson. ft 
They  provided  two  barks,  and,  having  well 
furnished  them  with  men  and  provisions,  put 
them  under  the  command  of  Philip  Amadas 

*  [This  patent  was  but  a  renewal  of  the  one  granted  to  Sir 
Humphrey  Gilbert,  there  being  no  material  variation  in  the  pro- 
visions.— Hazard,  i.,  33.  Hakluyt,  135  and  243. — H.] 

t  [Sir  William  Sanderson  was  an  eminent  merchant  of  Lon- 
don, and  had  married  a  niece  of  Sir  Walter.  He  was  a  princi- 
pal member  of  the  company  which  in  1585,  6,  7  sent  Captain 
John  Davis  to  discover  a  northwest  passage  to  China.  In  that 
enterprise  he  took  a  deep  interest,  and  adventured  largely  with 
his  purse,  and  the  chief  direction  and  management  of  it  was 
committed  to  him.  Smith  (Gen.  Hist.,  p.  2)  calls  him  "a  great 
friend  to  all  such  noble  and  worthy  actions." — H.] 

J  Stith's  History  of  Virginia,  p.  7,  8. 


300  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

and  Arthur   Barlow,*  who  sailed  from  the 
west  of  England  April  27,  1584. 

They  took  the  usual  route  by  the  way  of 
the  Canaries  and  the  West  Indies,  the  reason 
of  which  is  thus  expressed  in  the  account  of 
this  voyage  written  by  Barlow,t  "  because 
we  doubted  that  the  current  of  the  Bay  of 
Mexico  between  the  Cape  of  Florida  and  Ha- 
vanna  had  been  of  greater  force  than  we  af- 
terward found  it  to  be." 

Taking  advantage  of  the  Gulf  Stream, 
they  approached  the  coast  of  Florida,  and 
on  the  second  of  July  came  into  shoal  water, 
where  the  odoriferous  smell  of  flowers  indica- 
ted the  land  to  be  near,  though  not  within 
sight.  On  the  fourth  they  saw  land,  along 
which  they  sailed  forty  leagues  before  they 
found  an  entrance.  At  the  first  opening  they 
cast  anchor  (July  13),  and,  having  devoutly 
given  thanks  to  GOD  for  their  safe  arrival  on 
the  coast,  they  went  ashore  in  their  boats,  and 
took  possession  in  the  name  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. 

The  place  where  they  landed  was  a  sandy 
island,  called  Wococon,1:  about  sixteen  miles 

*  [Barlow  had  served  under  Raleigh  in  Ireland. — Cayley,  i., 
24.— H.] 

t  Hakluyt,  iii.,  246. 

t  This  island  is  generally  supposed  to  be  one  of  those  which 


RALEIGH.  301 

in  length  and  six  in  breadth,  full  of  cedars, 
pines,  cypress,  sassafras,  and  other  trees, 
among  which  were  many  vines  loaded  with 
grapes.  In  the  woods  they  found  deer  and 
hares,  and  in  the  waters  and  marshes  various 
kinds  of  fowl ;  but  no  human  creature  was 
seen  till  the  third  day,  when  a  canoe,  with 
three  men,  came  along  by  the  shore.  One 
of  them  landed,  and,  without  any  fear  or  pre- 
caution, met  the  Europeans,  and  addressed 
them  in  a  friendly  manner  in  his  own  lan- 
guage. They  carried  him  on  board  one  of 
their  vessels,  gave- him  a  shirt  and  some  other 
trifles,  .and  regaled  him  with  meat  and  wine. 

lie  at  the  mouth  of  Albemarle  Sound,  on  the  coast  of  North 
Carolina.  Barlow,  in  his  letter  to  Sir  W.  Raleigh,  preserved  bj 
Hakluyt,  says  that  he,  with  seven  others,  went  in  a  boat  "  twen- 
ty miles  into  the  River  Occam,  and  the  evening-  following 
came  to  an  island  called  Roanoke,  distant  from  the  harbour  l>j 
which  we  entered  seven  leagues  ;  at  the  north  end  thereof  was  a 
village."  Mr.  Stith,  who  wrote  the  History  of  Virginia,  and  who 
acknowledges  that  he  had,  not  seen  this  letter  in  English,  but  in  a 
Latin  translation,  supposes  that  the  Island  Wococon  must  he 
between  Cape  Hatteras  and  Cape  Fear,  and  that  the  distance 
might  be  30  leagues.  But  it  appears  from  Barlow's  letter  that 
the  boat  went  in  onr.  day,  and  came  in  the  evening  to  the  north 
end  of  Roanoke  :  the  distance  is  twice  mentioned,  once  in  miles 
and  once  in  leagues.  I  sec  no  reason,  therefore,  to  admit  Stith's 
conjecture  in  opposition  to  Barlow.  Stith,  however,  appears  to 
have  been  a  very  close  and  accurate  inquirer,  as  far  as  his  ma- 
terials and  opportunity  permitted. 


302  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

He  then  returned  to  his  canoe,  and,  with  his 
companions,  went  a  fishing.  When  the  ca- 
noe was  filled,  they  brought  the  fish  on  shore 
and  divided  them  into  two  heaps,  making 
signs  that  each  of  the  vessels  should  take  one. 
The  next  day  several  canoes  came,  in 
which  were  forty  or  fifty  people,  and  among 
them  was  Granganimeo,  brother  of  Wingina, 
king  of  the  country,  who  was  confined  at 
home  by  the  wounds  which  he  had  received 
in  battle  with  a  neighbouring  prince.  The 
manner  of  his  approach  was  fearless  and  re- 
spectful. He  left  his  boats  at  a  distance,  and 
came  along  the  shore,  accompanied  by  all  his 
people,  till  he  was  abreast  of  the  ship.  Then 
advancing  with  four  men  only,  who  spread  a 
mat  on  the  ground,  he  sat  down  on  one  end, 
and  the  four  men  on  the  other.  When  the 
English  went  on  shore  armed,  he  beckoned 
to  them  to  come  and  sit  by  him,  which  they 
did  ;  and  he  made  signs  of  joy  and  friendship, 
striking  with  his  hand  on  his  head  and  breast, 
and  then  on  theirs,  to  show  that  they  were  all 
one.  None  of  his  people  spoke  a  word  ;  and 
when  the  English  offered  them  presents,  he 
took  them  all  into  his  own  possession,  making 
signs  that  they  were  his  servants,  and  that  all 
which  they  had  belonged  to  him. 

After  this  interview  the  natives  came  in 


RALEIGH.  303 

great  numbers,  and  brought  skins,  coral,  and 
materials  for  dyes  ;  but  when  Granganimeo 
was  present,  none  were  permitted  to  trade 
but  himself  and  those  who  had  a  piece  of 
copper  on  their  heads.  Nothing  pleased  him 
so  much  as  a  tin  plate,  in  which  he  made  a 
hole  and  hung  it  over  his  breast,  as  a  piece 
of  defensive  armour.  He  supplied  them  ev- 
ery day  with  venison,  fish,  and  fruits,  and 
invited  them  to  visit  him  at  his  village,  on  the 
north  end  of  an  island  called  Roanoke. 

This  village  consisted  of  nine  houses,  built 
of  cedar,  and  fortified  with  sharp  palisades. 
When  the  English  arrived  there  in  their  boat, 
Granganimeo  was  absent ;  but  his  wife  en- 
tertained them  with  the  kindest  hospitality, 
washed  their  feet  and  their  clothes,  ordered 
their  boat  to  be  drawn  ashore  and  their  oars 
to  be  secured,  and  then  feasted  them  with 
venison,  fish,  fruits,  and  hommony.*  While 
they  were  at  supper,  some  of  her  men  came 
in  from  hunting,  with  their  bows  and  arrows 
in  their  hands,  on  which  her  guests  began  to 
mistrust  danger  ;  but  she  ordered  their  bows 
to  be  taken  from  them,  and  their  arrows  to  be 

*  Hommony  is  made  of  Indian  corn  beaten  in  a  mortar  and 
separated  from  the  bran  ;  then  boiled  either  by  itself  or  in  the 
broth  of  meat. 


304  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

broken,  and  then  turned  them  out  at  the  gate. 
The  English,  however,  thought  it  most  pru- 
dent to  pass  the  night  in  their  boat,  which 
they  launched  and  laid  at  anchor.  At  this 
she  was  much  grieved ;  but,  finding  all  her 
solicitations  ineffectual,  she  ordered  the  vic- 
tuals in  the  pots  to  be  put  on  board,  with 
mats  to  cover  the  people  from  the  rain,  and 
appointed  several  persons  of  both  sexes  to 
keep  guard  on  the  beach  during  the  whole 
night.  Could  there  be  a  more  engaging  spe- 
cimen of  generous  hospitality  ? 

These  people  were  characterized  as  "  gen- 
tle, loving,  and  faithful ;  void  of  guile  and 
treachery  ;  living  after  the  manner  of  the 
golden  age ;  caring  only  to  feed  themselves 
with  such  food  as  the  soil  affordeth,  and  to 
defend  themselves  from  the  cold  in  their  short 
winter." 

No  farther  discovery  was  made  of  the 
country  by  these  adventurers.  From  the  na- 
tives they  obtained  some  uncertain  account 
of  its  geography,  and  of  a  ship  which  had 
been  wrecked  on  the  coast  between  twenty 
and  thirty  years  before.  They  carried  away 
two  of  the  natives,  Wanchese  and  Manteo, 
and  arrived  in  the  west  of  England  about  the 
middle  of  September. 


RALEIGH.  305 

The  account  of  this  discovery  was  so  wel- 
come to  Queen  Elizabeth,  that  she  named 
the  country  Virginia,  either  in  memory  of  her 
own  virginity,  or  because  it  retained  its  virgin 
purity,  and  the  people  their  primitive  simpli- 
city. 

About  this  time  Raleigh  was  elected  knight 
of  the  shire  for  his  native  county  of  Devon  ; 
and  in  the  Parliament  which  was  held  in  the 
succeeding  winter,  he  caused  a  bill  to  be 
brought  into  the  House  of  Commons  to  con- 
firm his  patent  for  the  discovery  of  foreign 
countries.  After  much  debate,  the  bill  was 
carried  through  both  houses,  and  received  the 
royal  assent.  In  addition  to  which,  the  queen 
conferred  on  him  the  order  of  knighthood.*! 

*  Stith,  p.  11. 

t  [The  date  of  this  honour  is  not  precisely  fixed.  It  was  con- 
ferred probably  in  January,  or  early  in  February,  1585. — Cay  ley, 
i.,  46,  47.  The  same  year  he  received  a  different  kind  of  honour. 
Captain  John  Davis  sailed  this  summer  for  the  discovery  of  the 
Northwest  Passage,  under  the  patronage  of  a  company  of  which 
Adrian  Gilbert  was  a  chief  member,  and  Sir  Walter  one  of  the 
associates.  Davis  anchored  in  66°  40',  under  a  mountain,  "the 
cliffs  whereof  were  as  orient  as  gold,"  which  he  named  Mount 
Raleigh. 

The  rebellion  in  Ireland  having  been  suppressed,  the  queen 
attempted  to  carry  into  effect  a  favourite  scheme  of  peopling 
Munster  with  an  English  colony.  About  600,000  acres  of  land 
in  that  province  had  accrued  to  the  crown  by  recent  forfeitures, 
the  larger  part  of  which  was  divided  into  seignories,  and  distrib- 


306  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

A  second  expedition  being  resolved  on,  Sir 
Richard  Grenville  himself  took  the  command, 
and  with  seven  vessels,*  large  and  small, 
sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  ninth  of  April, 
1585.  t  They  went  in  the  usual  course  by 
the  Canaries  and  the  West  Indies,  where 
they  took  two  Spanish  prizes ;  and,  after  nar- 
rowly escaping  shipwreck  on  Cape  Fear,  ar- 
rived at  Wococon  the  26th  of  June.J 

The  natives  came,  as  before,  to  bid  them 
welcome  and  to  trade  with  them.  Manteo, 
whom  they  had  brought  back,  proved  a  faith- 
ful guide,  and  piloted  them  about  from  place 
to  place.  In  an  excursion  of  eight  days  with 
their  boats,  they  visited  several  Indian  villa- 
ges on  the  islands  and  on  the  main,  adjoining 
to  Albema*rle  Sound.  At  one  place,  called 
Aquascogok,  an  Indian  stole  from  them  a 
silver  cup.  Inquiry  being  made,  the  offender 

uted  among  those  especially  who  had  been  active  in  quelling  the 
insurrection.  Twelve  thousand  acres,  in  the  counties  of  Cork 
and  Waterford,  were  granted  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  This  he 
planted  at  his  own  expense,  and  about  1602  sold  it  to  Rich...-.! 
Boyle,  afterward  Earl  of  Cork. — H.] 

*  [These  vessels  were  the  Tiger  and  the  Roebuck,  each  of 
170  tons,  the  Lion  of  100,  the  Elizabeth  of  50,  the  Dorothie,  a 
small  bark,  and  two  small  pinnaces. — H.] 

t  Hakluyt,  iii.,  251. 

J  Mr.  Siith  mistakes  in  saying  May  26,  and  Sir  William 
Keith,  who  copies  from  him,  adopts  the  same  mistake. 


RALEIGH.  307 

was  detected,  and  promised  to  restore  it ;  but 
the  promise  being  not  speedily  performed,  a 
hasty  and  severe  revenge  was  taken  by  the 
orders  of  Grenville  ;  the  town  was  burned, 
and  the  corn  destroyed  in  the  fields  (July  16), 
while  the  affrighted  people  fled  to  the  woods 
for  safety.  From  this  ill-judged  act  of  vio- 
lence may  be  dated  the  misfortunes  and  fail- 
ure of  this  colony. 

Leaving  one  hundred  and  eight  persons  to 
attempt  a  settlement,  Grenville  proceeded 
with  his  fleet  to  the  Island  of  Hatteras,*  where 
he  received  a  visit  from  Granganimeo,  and 
then  sailed  for  England.  On  the  18th  of 
September  he  arrived  at  Plymouth,  with  a 
rich  Spanish  prize  which  he  had  taken  on  the 
passage. 

Of  the  colony  left  in  Virginia,!  Ralph  Lane 
was  appointed  governor.  He  was  a  military 
man  of  considerable  reputation  in  the  sea-ser- 
vice. Philip  Amadas,  who  had  commanded 
in  the  first  voyage,  was  admiral.  They  chose 
the  island  of  Roanoke,  in  the  mouth  of  Albe- 
marle  Sound,  as  the  place  of  their  residence, 
and  their  chief  employment  was  to  explore 

*  [Written  in  the  journal  Hatorask. — Hakluyt,  iii.,  253.— H.] 
t  [This  colony  remained  in  Virginia  nearly  a  year,  having  ar- 
rived June  26, 1585,  and  sailed  with  Drake  June  19, 1586.— H.] 
I— A  A 


308  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

and  survey  the  country,  and  describe  the  per- 
sons and  manners  of  its  inhabitants.  For 
these  purposes  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  had  sent 
John  Withe,  an  ingenious  painter,  and  Thom- 
as Heriot,  a  skilful  mathematician  and  a  man 
of  curious  observation,  both  of  whom  per- 
formed their  parts  with  fidelity  and  success.* 
The  farthest  discovery  which  they  made  to 
the  southward  of  Roanoke  was  Secotan,  an 
Indian  town  between  the  rivers  of  Pamplico 
and  Neus,  distant  eighty  leagues. t  To  the 
northward  they  went  about  forty  leagues,  to 
a  nation  called  Chesepeags,  on  a  small  river 
now  called  Elizabeth,  which  falls  into  Chese- 

*  The  drawings  which  Mr.  Withe  made  were  engraven  and 
printed  at  Frankfort  (1590)  by  Theodore  De  Bry.  They  repre- 
sent the  persons  and  habits  of  the  natives,  their  employments, 
diversions,  and  superstitions.  From  these  the  prints  in  Bever 
ley's  History  of  Virginia  are  copied. 

Mr.  Heriot  wrote  a  topographical  description  of  the  country 
and  its  natural  history,  which  is  preserved  in  Hakluyt's  Collec- 
tion, vol.  iii.,  266.  It  was  translated  into  Latin,  and  published 
by  De  Bry  in  his  collection  of  voyages.  It  has  been  supposed 
that  Raleigh  himself  came  to  Virginia  with  this  colony.  This  is 
a  mistake,  grounded  on  a  mistranslation  of  a  passage  in  Heriot's 
narrative.  It  is  thus  expressed  in  English :  "  The  actions  of 
those  who  have  been  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  therein  employed." 
Which  is  thus  rendered  in  the  Latin  translation,  "  qui  generosum 
D.  Walterum  Ralegh,  in  earn  regianem  comitati  sunt." — Stith, 
p.  22. 

t  [Governor  Lane's  narrative,  in  Hakluyt,  iii.,  255,  says  "by 
estimation,  fourscore  miles." — H.] 


RALEIGH.  309 

peag*  Bay  below  Norfolk.  To  the  westward 
they  went  up  Albemarle  Sound  and  Chowan 
River  about  forty  leagues,  to  a  nation  called 
Chowanogs,  whose  king,  Menatonona,t  amu- 
sed them  with  a  story  of  a  copper  mine  and 
a  pearl  fishery  ;  in  search  of  which  they  spent 
much  time,  and  so  exhausted  their  provisions 
that  they  were  glad  to  eat  their  dogs!  before 
they  returned  to  Roanoke. 

During  this  excursion  their  friend  Gran- 
ganimeo  died,  and  his  brother  Wingina$  dis- 
covered his  hostile  disposition  towards  the 
colony.  The  return  of  Mr.  Lane  and  his 
party  from  their  excursion  gave  a  check  to  his 
malice  for  a  while  ;  but  he  secretly  laid  a 
plot  for  their  destruction,  which  being  betray- 
ed to  the  English,  they  seized  all  the  boats  on 

*  [The  word  Chesepeak  is  said  to  signify  in  the  Indian 
tongue  "Mother  of  Waters." — Bosnian's  Maryland,  77,  note. — 

H.] 

t  [Lane  calls  him  Menatonon,  and  says  that  he  was,  "  for  a 
savage,  a  very  grave  and  wise  man,  and  of  a  very  singular  good 
discourse  in  matters  concerning  the  state."  He  writes  the  name 
of  the  province  Chawanook,  and  adds  that  the  town  itself,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  forces  of  the  province,  was  able  to  send  700  fight- 
ing men  into  the  field. — H.] 

t  [Lane  calls  it  "  Dogge's  Porredge."  After  they  had  finish- 
ed that  dish,  they  had  for  one  or  two  days  "nothing  in  the 
world  to  eat  but  pottage  of  sassafras  leaves." — H.] 

§  [Wingina  had  now  changed  his  name  to  Pemisapan,  and  the 
conspiracy  is  comjr  >nly  spoken  of  as  Pemisapan's. — H.] 


310 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 


the  island.  This  brought  on  a  skirmish,  in 
which  five  or  six  Indians  were  killed,  and  the 
rest  fled  to  the  woods.  After  much  jealousy 
and  dissimulation  on  both  sides,  Wingina  was 
drawn  into  a  snare,  and,  with  eight  of  his 
men,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  resentment  of  the 
English.* 

In  a  few  days  after  Wingina' s  death,  Sir 
Francis  Drake,  who  had  been  cruising  against 
the  Spaniards  in  the  West  Indies,  and  had 
received  orders  from  the  queen  to  visit  this 
colony,  arrived  with  his  fleet  on  the  coast, 
and,  by  the  unanimous  desire  of  the  people, 
took  them  all  off  and  carried  them  to  Eng- 
land, where  they  arrived  in  July,  1586. t 

Within  a  fortnight  after  the  departure  of 
this  unfortunate  colony,  Sir  Richard  Gren- 

*  [This  was  on  the  first  of  June,  1586.— H.] 
t  [Hakluyt,  iii.,  265,  mentions  a  voyage  made  in  1586,  by  a 
ship  fitted  out  by  Sir  Walter  at  his  own  charge,  for  the  relief 
of  his  colony  in  Virginia,  which  arrived  at  Cape  Hatteras  be- 
tween the  departure  of  Drake  and  the  arrival  of  Grenville,  and 
which,  after  an  unsuccessful  search,  returned  to  England. 

He  was  now  rapidly  growing  in  favour  with  the  queen,  and 
about  this  time  was  appointed  by  her  seneschal  of  the  duchies 
of  Cornwall  and  Exeter,  and  lord-warden  of  the  stannaries  in 
Devonshire  and  Cornwall.  He  was  also  a  partner  in  a  voyage 
undertaken  by  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  to  the  South  Sea,  and 
sent  two  pinnaces  to  the  Azores,  which  took  several  prizes.— 
Hakluyt,  ii.,  120.— H.J 


RALEIGH.  311 

ville  arrived  with  three  ships  for  their  relief. 
Finding  their  habitation  abandoned,  and  be- 
ing unable  to  gain  any  intelligence  of  them, 
he  landed  fifty*  men  on  the  Island  of  Roan- 
oke,  plentifully  supplied  with  provisions  for 
two  years,  and  then  returned  to  England. 

The  next  year  (1587t)  three  shipst  were 
sent,  under  the  command  of  John  White, $ 
who  was  appointed  governor  of  the  colony, 
with  twelve  counsellors.  To  them  Raleigh 
gave  a  charter  of  incorporation  for  the  city 
of  Raleigh,  which  he  ordered  them -to  build 
on  the  River  Chesepeag,  the  northern  extent 
of  the  discovery.  After  narrowly  escaping 
shipwreck  on  Cape  Fear,  they  arrived  at  Hat- 
teras  on  the  22d  of  July,  and  sent  a  party  to 
Roanoke  to  look  for  the  second  colony  of 

*  [Hakluyt  says  fifteen  men,  iii.,  265,  and  again  282,  3,  4 
Smith,  p.  13,  says  "  fiftie." — H.] 

t  [This  year  Sir  Walter  was  made  captain  of  the  guard  to 
her  majesty,  and  lieutenant-general  of  the  county  of  Cornwall. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Parliament  which  met  March  23d, 
1587,  and  received  from  the  queen  a  grant  of  the  lands  of  An- 
thony Babington,  which  had  been  forfeited  on  account  of  his 
connexion  with  the  conspiracy  in  farour  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots. 
-H.] 

t  [They  carried  one  hundred  and  fifty  colonists. — Hakluyt, 
iii.,  280,  281.— H.] 

$  [White  sailed  from  Plymouth  May  8th.  His  fleet  con- 
sisted of  '•  the  Admiral,  a  shippe  of  120  tuniies,  a  file-boat,  and 
a  pinnesae."— Hakluyt,  iii.,  280,  281.— H.] 


312  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

fifty  men.  They  found  no.  person  living,  and 
the  bones  of  but  one  dead.  The  huts  were 
standing,  but  were  overgrown  with  bushes 
and  weeds.  In  conversation  with  some  of 
the  natives,  they  were  informed  that  the  col- 
ony had  been  destroyed  by  Wingina's  people 
in  revenge  of  his  death. 

Mr.  White  endeavoured  to  renew  a  friend- 
ly intercourse  with  those  natives,  but  their 
jealousy  rendered  them  implacable.  He 
therefore  went  across  the  water  to  the  main 
with  a  party  of  twenty-five  men,  and  came 
suddenly  on  a  company  of  friendly  Indians, 
who  were  seated  round  a  fire,  one  of  whom 
they  killed  before  they  discovered  the  mis- 
take. 

Two  remarkable  events  are  mentioned  as 
happening  at  this  time  :  one  was  the  baptism 
of  Manteo,  the  faithful  Indian  guide  ;  the 
other  was  the  birth  of  a  female  child,  daugh- 
ter of  Ananias  Dare,*  one  of  the  council, 
which,  being  the  first  child  born  in  the  colo- 
ny, was  named  Virginia. 

By  this  time  (August  21)  the  ships  had 
unloaded  their  stores,  and  were  preparing  to 
return  to  England.  It  was  evident  -that  a 

*  [Dare  had  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Governor  White. 
The  birth  took  place  Aug.  18th.— H.] 


RALEIGH.  313 

farther  supply  was  necessary,  and  that  some 
person  must  go  home  to  solicit  it.  A  dispute 
arose  in  the  council  on  this  point,  and,  after 
much  altercation,  it  was  determined  that  the 
governor  was  the  most  proper  person  to  be 
sent  on  this  errand.  The  whole  colony  join- 
ed in  requesting  him  to  proceed,  promising  to 
take  care  of  his  interest  in  his  absence.  With 
much  reluctance  he  consented,  on  their  sub- 
scribing a  testimonial  of  his  unwillingness  to 
quit  the  plantation.  He  accordingly  sailed 
on  the  27th  of  August,  and  arrived  in  Eng- 
land the  following  November.  The  nation 
was  in  a  state  of  alarm  and  apprehension  on 
account  of  the  war  with  Spain,  and  of  the  in- 
vincible armada,  which  had  threatened  it  with 
an  invasion.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  was  one  of 
the  queen's  council  of  war,*  as  were  also  Sir 
Richard  Grenville  and  Mr.  Lane.  Their 
time  was  wholly  taken  up  with  public  consul- 
tations, and  Governor  White  was  obliged  to 
wait  till  the  plan  of  operations  against  the  en- 
emy could  be  adjusted  and  carried  into  exe- 
cution. 

*  [Raleigh  was  at  this  time  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  her  majes- 
ty's privy  chamber,  and  his  wine-patent  seems  to  have  been  en- 
larged. This  was  continued  to  him  till  the  close  of  Elizabeth'^ 
reign. — H.] 


314  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

The  next  spring  Raleigh  and  Grenville, 
who  had  the  command  of  the  militia  in  Corn- 
wall, and  were  training  them  for  the  defence 
of  the  kingdom,  being  strongly  solicited  by 
White,  provided  two  small  barks,  which  sail- 
ed from  Biddeford  on  the  22d  of  April,  1588. 
These  vessels  had  commissions  as  ships  of 
war,  and,  being  more  intent  on  gain  to  them- 
selves than  relief  to  the  colony,  went  in  chase 
of  prizes,  and  were  both  driven  back  by  ships 
of  superior  force,  to  the  great  mortification  of 
their  patron  and  the  ruin  of  his  colony. 

These  disappointments  were  a  source  of 
vexation  to  Raleigh.  He  had  expended  forty 
thousand. pounds,  of  his  own  and  other  men's 
money,  in  pursuit  of  his  favourite  object,  and 
his  gains  were  yet  to  come.  He  therefore 
made  an  assignment  of  his  patent  (March  7, 
1589)  to  Thomas  Smith,  and  other  merchants 
and  adventurers,  among  whom  was  Governor 
White,  with  a  donation  of  one  hundred  pounds 
for  the  propagation  of  the  Christian  religion 
in  Virginia.  Being  thus  disengaged  from  the 
business  of  colonization,  he  had  full  scope  for 
his  martial  genius  in  the  war  with  Spain. 

His  assignees  were  not  so  zealous  in  the 
prosecution  of  their  business.  It  was  not  till 
the  spring  of  1590  that  Governor  White  coultf 


RALEIGH.  315 

return  to  his  colony.*  Then,  with  three  ships, 
he  sailed  from  Plymouth,  and,  passing  through 
the  West  Indies  in  quest  of  Spanish  prizes,  he 
arrived  at  Hatteras  on  the  15th  of  August. 
From  this  place  they  observed  a  smoke  ari- 
sing on  the  Island  of  Roanoke,  which  gave 
them  some  hope  that  the  colony  was  there 
subsisting  ;  on  their  coming  to  the  place,  they 
found  old  trees  and  grass  burning,  but  no  hu- 
man being.  On  a  post  of  one  of  the  housest 
they  saw  the  word  Croatan,  which  gave  them 
some  hope  that  at  the  island  of  that  name 
they  should  find  their  friends.  They  sailed 
for  that  island,  which  lay  southward  of  Hat- 
teras ;  but  a  violent  storm  arising,  in  which 
they  lost  their  anchors,  they  were  obliged  to 

*  [Governor  White's  account  of  this  voyage  is  preserved  in 
Hakluyt,  iii.,  287-295.  The  three  ships  were  furnished  "  at  the 
special  charges  of  Mr.  John  Wattes,  of  London,  marchaat." 
They  were  the  Hopewell,  the  John  Evangelist,  and  the  Little 
John,  accompanied  with  two  small  shallops.  They  sailed  from 
Plymouth  March  20th,  remained  on  the  coast  of  Virginia  but  a 
few  days,  and  reached  home  October  24th.  Mr.  White  says  this 
was  his  fifth  voyage  to  Virginia,  and  complains  bitterly,  in  his 
letter  to  Hakluyt,  that  "  governors,  masters,  and  sailors  regarded 
very  smally  the  good  of  their  countrymen  in  Virginia,  but  wholly 
disposed  themselves  to  seeke  after  purchase  and  spoiles." — H.J 

t  [They  found  that  the  houses  had  been  taken  down,  and  the 
place  on  which  they  had  been  enclosed  with  a  strong  palisade, 
and  the  word  Croatan  "  in  fay  re  capitall  letters  graven  on  one 
of  the  chief  trees  or  posts  at  the  entrance."— White's  Narrative, 
in  Hakluyt,  iii.,  293.— H.] 


316  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

quit  the  inhospitable  coast  and  return  home ; 
nor  was  anything  afterward  heard  of  the  un- 
fortunate colony. 

The  next  year  (1591)  Sir  Richard  Gren- 
ville  was  mortally  wounded  in  an  engage- 
ment with  a  Spanish  fleet,  and  died  on  board 
the  admiral's  ship,  where  he  was  prisoner.* 

*  [The  heroism  of  his  death  deserves  a  particular  narration. 
The  following  account  of  it  is  taken  from  Miss  Aikin's  Memoirs 
of  the  Court  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  ii.,  264  :  "A  squadron,  under 
Lord  Thomas  Howard,  which  had  been  waiting  six  months  at 
the  Azores  to  intercept  the  homeward-bound  ships  from  Spanish 
America,  was  there  surprised  by  a  vastly  more  numerous  fleet 
of  the  enemy,  which  had  been  sent  out  for  their  convoy.  The 
English  admiral  got  to  sea  in  all  haste,  and  made  good  his  re- 
treat, followed  by  his  whole  squadron  excepting  the  Revenge, 
which  was  entangled  in  a  narrow  channel  between  the  port  and 
an  island.  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  her  commander,  after  a  vain 
attempt  to  break  through  the  Spanish  line,  determined,  with  a 
kind  of  heroic  desperation,  to  sustain  alone  the  conflict  with  a 
whole  fleet  of  fifty-seven  sail  rather  than  strike  his  colours. 
From  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  till  daybreak  he  resisted,  by 
almost  incredible  efforts  of  valour,  all  the  force  which  could  be 
brought  to  bear  against  him,  and  fifteen  times  beat  back  the 
boarding-parties  from  his  deck.  At  length,  when  all  his  bravest 
had  fallen,  and  he  himself  was  disabled  by  many  wounds,  his 
powder  also  being  exhausted,  his  small  arms  lost  or  broken, 
and  his  ship  a  perfect  wreck,  he  proposed  to  his  gallant  crew  to 
sink  her,  that  no  trophy  might  remain  to  the  enemy.  But  this 
proposal,  though  applauded  by  several,  was  overruled  by  the  ma- 
jority :  the  Revenge  struck  to  the  Spaniards,  and  two  days  after 
her  brave  commander  died  on  board  their  admiral's  ship  of  his 
glorious  wounds,  '  with  a  joyful  and  quiet  mind,'  as  he  express- 
ed himself,  and  admired  by  all  his  enemies  themselves  for  his 
high  spirit  and  invincible  resolution." — H.] 


RALEIGH.  317 

Raleigh,  though  disengaged  from  the  busi- 
ness of  colonizing  Virginia,  sent  five  times  at 
his  own  expense  to  seek  for  and  relieve  his 
friends  ;  but  the  persons  whom  he  employed, 
having  more  profitable  business  in  the  West 
Indies,  either  went  not  to  the  place,  or  were 
forced  from  it  by  stress  of  weather,  it  being  a 
tempestuous  region,  and  without  any  safe  har- 
bour. The  last  attempt  which  he  made  was 
in  1602,  the  year  before  his  imprisonment ; 
an  event  which  gratified  the  malice  of  his 
enemies,  and  prepared  the  way  for  his  death, 
which  was  much  less  ignominious  to  him  than 
to  his  sovereign,  King  James  I.,  the  British 
Solomon,  successor  to  Elizabeth,  the  British 
Deborah.* 

This  unfortunate  attempt  to  settle  a  colony 
in  Virginia  was  productive  of  one  thing  which 
will  always  render  it  memorable,  the  intro- 
duction of  tobacco  into  England.  Cartier,  in 

*  As  a  specimen  of  the  language  of  that  time,  let  the  reader 
take  the  following  extract  from  Purchas  : 

"  He  [i.  e.,  King  James]  is  beyond  comparison  a  meer  trans- 
cendent, beyond  all  his  predecessors,  princes  of  this  realm ;  be- 
yond the  neighbouring  princes  of  his  own  time  ;  beyond  the 
conceit  of  subjects  dazzled  with  so  much  brightness  ;  beyond 
our  victorious  Deborah,  not  in  sex  alone,  but  as  peace  is  more 
excellent  than  war,  and  Solomon  than  David ;  in  this  also  that 
he  is,  and  we  enjoy  his  present  sunshine." 


318  AMEEICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

his  visit  to  Canada  fifty  years  before,  had 
observed  that  the  natives  used  this  weed  in 
fumigation,  but  it  was  an  object  of  disgust  to 
Frenchmen.  Ralph  Lane,  at  his  return  in 
1586,  brought  it  first  into  Europe ;  and  Ra- 
leigh, who  was  a  man  of  gayety  and  fashion, 
not  only  learned  the  use  of  it  himself,  but  in- 
troduced it  into  the  polite  circles,  and  even 
the  queen  herself  gave  encouragement  to  u 
Some  humorous  stories  respecting  it  are  still 
remembered.  Raleigh  laid  a  wager  with  the 
queen  that  he  would  determine  exactly  the 
weight  of  smoke  which  issued  from  his  pipe. 
This  he  did  by  first  weighing  the  tobacco  and 
then  the  ashes.  When  the  queen  paid  the 
wager,  she  pleasantly  observed  that  many  la- 
bourers had  turned  their  gold  into  smoke,  but 
that  he  was  the  first  who  had  converted  smoke 
into  gold. 

It  is  also  related  that  a  servant  of  Sir  Wal- 
ter, bringing  a  tankard  of  ale  into  his  study 
as  he  was  smoking  his  pipe  and  reading,  was 
so  alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  smoke  issu- 
ing out  of  his  mouth,  that  he  threw  the  ale 
into  his  face,  and  ran  down  to  alarm  the  fam- 
ily, crying  out  that  his  master  was  on  fire. 

King  James  had  so  refined  a  taste,  that  he 
not  only  held  this  Indian  weed  in  great  ab- 
horrence himself,  but  endeavoured,  by  proc- 


RALEIGH.  319 

lamations  and  otherwise,  to  prevent  the  use 
of  it  among  his  subjects.  But  all  his  zeal  and 
authority  could  not  suppress  it.  Since  his 
time  it  has  become  an  important  article  of 
commerce,  by  which  individuals  in  Europe 
and  America,  as  well  as  colonies  and  nations, 
have  risen  to  great  opulence. 

[We  have  thus  far  followed  Raleigh  in  a 
course  of  nearly  uniform  prosperity,  if  not  of 
constant  success.  He  had  become  distin- 
guished among  his  countrymen,  and  was  high 
in  the  favour  of  the  queen.  Yet  his  career  at 
court  was  not  without  its  perplexities,  and 
he  sorely  felt,  from  time  to  time,  how  easily 
his  repose  may  be  disturbed  "  who  hangs  on 
princes'  favours."  He  found  a  rival  there  in 
the  youthful  and  accomplished  Earl  of  Essex, 
son-in-law  of  the  late  powerful  Leicester.  He 
had  fallen  under  the  suspicion  of  insincerity 
in  his  professed  attachment  to  that  noble- 
man, as  appears  from  a  letter  written  by  him 
in  vindication  of  himself  as  early  as  1586. 
Whether  a-jealousy  on  this  point  was  inherit- 
ed by  Essex,  or  whether  a  degree  of  personal 
dislike  arose  from  their  competition  for  the 
royal  favour,  we  cannot  determine.  The 
unfriendliness  certainly  existed,  and  Raleigh 
was  a  sufferer  by  it.  He  had  been  engaged 


320  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

in  the  unfortunate  expedition,  in  the  summer 
of  1589,  to  place  Don  Antonio  on  the  throne 
of  Portugal,  and  for  his  -good  conduct  in  it 
had  received  from  the  queen  the  honour  of  a 
golden  chain.  Yet  in  August  of  the  same 
year  he  suddenly  withdrew  to  Ireland,  evi- 
dently suffering  under  the  royal  displeasure. 
We  have  no  knowledge  of  the  cause  of  this 
change,  except  this  imperfect  notice  in  a  let- 
ter of  that  date  from  Francis  Allen  to  An- 
thony Bacon :  '•  My  Lord  of  Essex  hath 
chased  Mr.  Raleigh  from  the  court,  and  con- 
fined him  into  Ireland :  conjecture  you  the 
rest  of  that  matter." 

Here  he  renewed  his  friendship  with  Spen- 
ser, a  beautiful  episode  in  a  life  of  restless 
activity.  Spenser  was  then  residing  at  Kil- 
colman,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mulla,  where  he 
had  devoted  his  leisure  to  the  composition  of 
"  the  Faery  Queen."  Raleigh's  banishment 
was  not  of  long  duration,  and  on  his  return 
he  brought  Spenser  to  England,  and  proved 
an  able  and  discerning  patron.  B  3  feelings 
during  this  brief  exile  are  described  in  Spen- 
ser's "  Colin  Clout's  come  Home  again," 
which  was  dedicated  to  him  ten  years  later. 
In  that  poem  Raleigh  is  introduced  as  "  the 
Shepherd  of  the  Ocean,"  and  the  poet  says  ; 


RALEIGH.  321 

*  His  song  was  all  a  lamentable  lay, 

Of  great  unkindness  and  of  usage  hard, 
Of  Cynthia,  the  lady  of  the  sea, 

Which  from  her  presence,  faultless,  him  debarr'd." 

The  first  three  books  of  the  Faery  Queen 
were  now  published  with  his  encouragement, 
and  the  "argument"  is  addressed  "to  the 
right  noble  and  valorous  Sir  "Walter  Raleigh." 

This  noble  sonnet,  addressed  to  Spenser  on 
his  great  work,  will  give  the  reader  no  unfa- 
vourable idea  of  Raleigh's  poetic  powers 

"  Methought  I  saw  the  grave  where  Laura  lay 

Within  that  temple,  where  the  vestall  flame 
Was  wont  to  burne,  and  passing  by  that  way 

To  see  that  buried  dust  of  living  fame, 
Whose  tumbe  fair  Love  and  fairer  Vertue  kept, 

All  suddenly  I  saw  the  Faery  Queene : 
At  whose  approche  the  Lord  of  Petrarke  wept, 

And  from  henceforth  those  graces  were  not  seene : 
For  they  this  queene  attended,  in  whose  steed 

Oblivion  laid  him  down  on  Laura's  herse  ; 
Hereat  the  hardest  stones  were  seen  to  bleed, 

And  grones  of  buried  ghosts  the  heavens  did  perse ; 
When  Homer's  spright  did  tremble  all  for  grief, 
And  curst  th'  accesse  of  that  celestiall  thiefe." 

In  1591  Sir  Walter  was  busily  engaged  in 
preparing  for  an  expedition  to  capture  the 
Spanish  fleet,  which  every  year  came  richly 
laden  with  merchandise  from  their  American 
possessions.  So  earnest  were  his  endeav- 
ours, and  so  plausible  his  scheme  of  opera- 
tions, that  thirteen  ships  were  equipped  for 


322  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

the  enterprise  by  private  adventurers,  and  two 
ships-of-war  were  added  by  the  queen.  She 
appointed  Sir  Walter  general  of  the  fleet, 
which  sailed  May  6,  1592.  The  next  day, 
by  a  special  messenger,  he  received  letters 
from  the  queen  containing  his  recall.  He 
did  not  return  till  he  began  to  despair  of  suc- 
cess, and  left  the  expedition  in  charge  of  Sir 
John  Burgh  and  Sir  Martin  Frobisher. 
Among  other  prizes  they  took  the  Madre  de 
Dios,  "  of  1600  tons  burthen,  whereof  900 
were  merchandise." 

Soon  after  his  return  he  was  arrested,  hav- 
ing very  probably  been  recalled  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  for  having 
carried  on  a  criminal  intrigue  with  one  of  the 
queen's  maids  of  honour.  The  lady  was  im- 
prisoned at  the  same  time.  She  was  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  the  statesman  and  ambas- 
sador, Sir  Nicholas  Throckmorton,  and  much 
celebrated  for  her  beauty.  After  their  release 
they  were  married,  and  his  letters,  with  her 
efforts  for  him  in  his  misfortunes,  prove  a  rare 
degree  of  mutual  affection  and  lasting  happi- 
ness. During  this  confinement  Sir  Walter 
wrote  a  letter  to  Sir  Robert  Cecil,*  which  is 
too  curious  to  be  entirely  omitted.  It  was 
written  just  as  the  queen  was  about  to  leave 
*  [Burghley  State  Papers  by  Murden,  ii.,  657. — H.] 


RALEIGH.  323 

London  on  a  royal  progress,  and  was  clearly 
intended  for  her  majesty's  eye.  It  shows 
servility  in  the  writer  hardly  more  than  the 
peculiar  temper  of  Elizabeth,  which  could  be 
touched  by  so»gross  flattery.  "  My  heart  was 
never  broken  till  this  day,  that  I  hear  the 
queen  goes  away  so  far  off,  whom  I  have  fol- 
lowed so  many  years  with  so  great  love  and 
desire  in  so  many  journeys,  and  am  now  left 
behind  her  in  a  dark  prison,  all  alone.  While 
she  was  yet  near  at  hand,  that  I  might  hear 
of  her  once  in  two  or  three  days,  my  sorrows 
were  the  less,  but  even  now  my  heart  is  cast 
into  the  depth  of  all  misery.  I  that  was  wont 
to  behold  her  riding  like  Alexander,  hunting 
like  Diana,  walking  like  Venus,  the  gentle 
wind  blowing  her  fair  hair  about  her  pure 
cheeks  like  a  nymph,  sometime  sitting  in  the 
shade  like  a  goddess,  sometime  singing  like 
an  angel,  sometime  playing  like  Orpheus  ; 
behold  the  sorrow  of  this  world  !  once  amiss 
hath  bereaved  me  of  all  !  ....  All  those  times 
past,  the  loves,  the  sighs,  the  sorrows,  the  de- 
sires, can  they  not  weigh  down  one  frail  mis- 
fortune ?....!  am  more  weary  of  life  than 
they  are  desirous  I  should  perish,  which,  if 
it  had  been  for  her  as  it  is  by  her,  I  had  been 
too  happily  born."  By  virtue  of  such  regrets, 

)r  for  some  better  reason,  Sir  Walter  was  rc- 
1.— u  K 


324  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

leasedfjjn  the  latter  part  of  September,  though 
he  seems  not  to  have  been  completely  resto- 
red to  the  queen's  favour  for  several  years. 
He  is  described  in  letters  of  this  time  as 
"  hovering  between  fear  and  hope,"  and  so 
late  as  September,  1594,  as  "  in  good  hope 
to  return  into  grace."  Yet  in  1593  he  ob- 
tained of  the  queen  a  grant  of  the  manor  of 
Sherborne,  in  Dorsetshire,  where  he  for  some 
time  resided. 

Sir  Walter  was  a  member  of  the  Parlia- 
ment which  met  in  the  spring  of  1593,  was 
an  active  member  of  several  committees,  and 
became  distinguished  for  his  eloquence  and 
enlarged  views  of  public  policy  and  of  nation- 
al honour. 

To  reinstate  himself  in  the  favour  of  his 
royal  mistressv  and  more  rapidly  advance  his 
private  fortunes,  Sir  Walter,  with  full  faith  in 
the  reported  infinite  riches  of  El  Dorado, 
prepared  for  an  expedition  into  the  unknown 
regions  of  Guiana.  Dejection  led  him  to  med- 
itate on  new  schemes  of  wealth,  and  the  soli- 
tariness of  the  Tower  had  given  an  impulse  to 
his  imagination,  and  substance  to  his  dreams. 

The  fleet  for  Guiana  set  sail  Feb.  6th, 
1595,*  and  arrived  at  Trinidad  the  22d  of 

*  [Sir  Walter's   narrative  may  be  found  in  Hakluyt,  iii., 
631-666,  and  in  Cayley's  Life  of  Ralegh. — H.] 


RALEIGH.  326 

March.  They  found  a  company  of  Span- 
iards at  Puerto  de  los  Espanoles,  from  whom, 
and  from  an  Indian  cacique  who  visited  him, 
Sir  Walter  learned  much  of  the  resources 
and  topography  of  the  country.  Suspecting 
the  jealousy  of  the  Spaniards,  and  unwilling 
to  leave  an  enemy  in  his  rear,  he  surprised 
and  burned  their  city  of  St.  Joseph,  and  de- 
tained the  governor,  Don  Antonio  de  Berreo, 
a  prisoner.  He  was  farther  induced  to  this 
course  by  a  desire  to  punish  the  treachery  of 
Berreo,  who  had,  in  violation  of  his  promise, 
taken  prisoners  eight  of  Captain  Whidden's 
men  there  in  1594.  Whidden  had  been  sent 
by  Raleigh  on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  Ber- 
reo is  described  as  "  a  gentleman  well  de- 
scended, who  had  long  served  the  Spanish 
king  in  Milan,  Naples,  and  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, very  valiant  and  liberal,  of  a  great  as- 
suredness, and  of  a  good  heart."  Though  a 
captive,  Raleigh  treated  him  with  the  courte- 
sies due  to  a  soldier. 

Here  Sir  Walter  spent  about  a  month,  and 
learned  that  the  region  he  was  in  search  of 
was  six  hundred  miles  farther  than  he  had 
supposed.  He,  however,  concealed  this  from 
his  company,  and,  leaving  his  ships  at  Curi- 
apan,  on  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  he  embarked 


326  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

one  hundred  persons,  with  provisions  for  one 
month,  in  a  small  galley,  a  barge',  two  wher- 
ries, and  a  ship's  boat,  and  set  out  in  this  poor 
plight  for  the  empire  of  Guiana.  The  voyage 
was  wearisome  beyond  description,  "  being  al 
driven  to  lie  in  the  raine,  and  weather  in  the 
open  aire,  in  the  burning  sunne,  and  upon  the 
hard  bords,  and  to  dresse  our  meatq,  and  to 
carry  all  maner  of  furniture  in  them  (the 
open  boats),  wherewith  they  were  so  pestered 
and  unsavoury .  . .  that  I  will  undertake  there 
was  never  any  prison  in  England  that  could 
be  found  more  unsavoury  and  lothsome,  es- 
pecially to  myself,  who  had  for  many  years 
before  been  dieted  and  cared  for  in  a  sort  far 
more  differing." 

The  troubles  which  they  began  thus  to  feel 
at  the  outset  would  have  dissuaded  any  ordi- 
nary man  from  pursuing  so  difficult  a  scheme. 
Berreo,  too,  when  informed  of  Sir  Walter's 
purpose  to  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  Gui- 
ana, "  was  stricken  into  a  great  melancholy 
and  sadnesse,"  and  represented  to  him  the 
rivers  as  of  difficult  and  perilous  naviga- 
tion by  reason  of  shoals  and  flats,  the  way 
long,  the  current  rapid,  and  the  natives  at 
once  timid  and  hostile,  and  resolved  to  have 
no  intercourse  with  Christians.  But  difficul- 
ties seemed  only  to  animate  his  resolution, 


RALEIGH.  327 

and  the  prospect  of  dangers  awakened  his  he- 
roism. 

After  reaching  the  mouths  of  the  river, 
they  entered,  May  22d,  a  branch,  which,  as 
true  knights,  they  named,  from  a  fancied  re- 
semblance, the  River  of  the  Red  Crosse.  In 
the  labyrinth  of  waters  made  by  the  number- 
less courses  of  the  great  river  near  its  mouth, 
interlacing  in  every  direction,  and  seeming- 
ly flowing  every  way,  they  were  confused, 
and  might  have  wandered  without  end,  so 
Hke  were  the  islands,  and  so  doubtful  which 
was  the  main  stream.  The  number  of  out- 
lets is  sixteen,  the  outermost  three  hundred 
miles  apart.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  Red 
Crosse  River  accident  put  in  their  power  an 
old  man  of  the  Ciawani,  a  tribe  which  lived 
on  the  bank.  He  was  familiar  with  the 
course  of  the  stream,  and  served  them  as  pi- 
lot. They  now  "  passed  up  the  river  with 
the  flood,  and  anchored  during  the  ebb,  and 
m  this  sort  went  onward."  For  four  days 
the  tide  aided  them,  "  till  they  fell  into  a 
goodly  river,  the  great  Amana."  After  this 
they  were  forced  to  row  with  main  strength 
against  a  violent  current,  "  every  gentleman 
and  others  taking  their  turnes  to  spell  one  an- 
other at  the  hour's  end."  They  thus  labour- 
ed on  many  days,  "  in  despair  and  discomfort, 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

wearied,  scorched,  and  doubtful  withal,  the 
air  breeding  great  faintness,  the  current  every 
day  stronger,  and  ourselves  growing  weaker 
and  weaker,  our  bread  at  the  last,  and  no 
drinke  at  all."  They  were  ready  every  hour 
to  turn  back,  and  kept  up  the  spirits  of  the 
men  only  by  Bordering  the  pilots  to  promise 
an  end  the  next  day,  and  used  this  so  long 
that  they  were  driven  to  assure  them  from 
four  reaches  of  the  river  to  three,  and  so  to 
the  next  reach." 

In  this  distress  and  famine  they  halted  '; 
and,  at  the  instance  of  their  guide,  Sir  Wai- 
ter, with  a  small  party,  rowed  up  a  branch  of 
the  Amana,  more  than  forty  miles,  to  an  In- 
dian village,  in  search  of  bread.  They  toiled, 
"  heart-broken  and  tired,  and  ready  to  give 
up  the  ghost,"  from  morning  "  till  one  o'clock 
past  midnight,"  when  they  "  saw  a  light  and 
heard  dogs  bark  at  the  village."  They  were 
kindly  received  by  the  few  natives  then  at 
home,  and  got  "  good  store  of  bread,  fish, 
hennes.  and  Indian  drincke."  This  stream 
opened  to  them  a  new  view  of  the  country. 
Their  course  hitherto  had  been  up  a  river 
thickly  bordered  with  overhanging  woods, 
and  beset  with  prickles,  bushes,  and  thorns. 
Here  they  looked  out  upon  "  plaines  of  twen- 
ty miles  in  length,  the  grasse  short  and 


RALEIGH.  329 

greene,  and  in  divers  parts  groves  of  trees  by 
themselves,  as  if  they  had  been  by  all  the 
art  and  labour  in  the  world  so  made  of  pur- 
pose, and  still  as  they  rowed  the  deere  came 
downe  feeding  by  the  water's  side,  as  if  they 
had  beene  used  to  a  keeper's  call.  But,  be- 
side strange  fishes  and  of  marvellous  bignes, 
for  lagartos  (alligators)  it  exceeded,  for  there 
were  thousands  of  those  ugly  serpents." 

On  their  return  "  they  went  on  their  way 
up  the  great  river,  and  again,  when  they  were 
even  at  the  last  call  for  want  of  victuals," 
they  came  upon  four  canoes  filled  with  na- 
tives, and  three  Spaniards,  which  they  took, 
and  "  found  in  them  divers  baskets  of  roots, 
and  great  store  of  excellent  bread,  than  which 
nothing  on  the  earth  could  have  been  more 
welcome  to  them  next  unto  gold."  The 
Spaniards  had  been  mining,  and  their  instru- 
ments for  the  trial  of  metals,  and  such  dust 
as  they  had  refined,  were  taken.  This  re- 
newed their  hopes  that  the  golden  region 
was  not  far  off.  Sir  Walter  here  took  a  new 
pilot  from  those  who  had  guided  the  Span- 
iards, and  "  on  the  fifteenth  day  they  discov- 
ered afarre  off  the  mountains  of  Guiana,  to 
their  great  joy;"  and  "a  northerly  wind, 
which  blew  very  strong,  brought  them  in 


330  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

sight  of  the  great  River  Oronoco,  out  of  which 
the  Amana  descended,"  and  "  they  ankered  at 
the  parting  of  the  three  goodly  rivers."  Here 
they  went  ashore  on  the  invitation  of  Topa- 
rimaca,  "  the  lord  of  that  border,"  "  where 
some  of  the  captains  caroused  of  his  wine 
till  they  were  reasonable  pleasant,"  and  vis- 
ited his  town  Arowocai,  which  "  was  very 
pleasant,  with  goodly  gardens  a  mile  com- 
passe  round  about  it." 

The  next  day  they  sailed  on  with  an  east 
wind,  and  found  the  river  of  varying  breadth, 
from  four  to  twenty  miles,  "  with  wonderfull 
eddies,  divers  shoals,  rock,  and  many  great 
islands,"  and  wrought  into  huge  billows  by  the 
wind.  Passing  by  wide  and  rich  plains,  and 
sending  out  now  and  then  parties  to  explore 
the  banks,  on  the  fifth  day  from  their  first 
sight  of  the  mountains  they  arrived  at  the  port 
of  Morequito,  three  hundred  miles  from  the 
sea.  Here  and  in  the  neighbourhood  they 
passed  four  days.  From  this  place  parties 
were  sent  abroad  to  search  for  the  precious 
metals,  and  to  reach,  if  possible,  the  mount- 
ains on  the  frontier  of  the  great  empire. 
Sir  Walter  accompanied,  one,  to  view  "  the 
strange  over-falls  of  the  River  of  Caroli,"  the 
noise  of  which  they  heard  twenty  miles  off, 


RALEIGH.  331 

at  Morequito.  There  appeared  some  ten  or 
twelve  falls,  "  every  one  as  high  over  the  oth- 
er as  a  church  tower."  Hear  him  describe 
the  tract  they  traversed :  "I  never  saw  a 
more  beautifull  countrey  nor  more  lively  pros- 
pects ;  hils  so  raised  here  and  there  over  the 
valleys,  the  river  winding  into  divers  branch- 
es, the  plains  adjoyning  without  bush  or 
stubble,  all  faire  greene  grasse,  the  ground  of 
hard  sand,  easie  to  march  on  either  for  horse 
or  foote,  the  deere  crossing  in  every  path, 
the  birdes  towards  the  evening  singing  on  ev- 
ery tree  with  a  thousand  severall  tunes,  cranes 
and  herons,  of  white,  crimson,  and  carnation, 
pearching  in  the  river's  side,  the  aire  fresh 
easterly  winde,  and  every  stone  that  wee 
stouped  to  take  up  promised  either  gold  or 
silver  by  his  complexion."  They  were  hos- 
pitably entertained  by  the  natives ;  learned 
somewhat  of  the  geography  of  the  country ; 
heard  and  believed  stories  of  a  tribe  of  men 
"  whose  heads  appeare  not  above  their  shoul- 
ders ;"  were  told  of  a  rich  silver  mine,  which, 
from  the  rise  of  the  river,  they  could  not 
reach  ;  dugout  with  their  daggers  and  fingers 
from  the  hard  white  spar  a  few  specimens  of 
minerals,  "  marcasite,  and  mother-of-gold, 
and  stones  like  sapphires,"  and  then  turned 

their  faces  again  to  the  eastward. 
I,— C  c 


332  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

"  The  great  city  of  Manoa"  had  eluded 
their  grasp.  Their  farther  progress  was  hin- 
dered, and  their  departure  hastened  by  the 
summer  rains.  The  smaller  rivers  "  were 
raised  with  such  speed,  as,  if  they  waded 
them  over  the  shoes  in  the  morning  outward, 
they  were  covered  to  the  shoulders  homeward 
the  very  same  day  ;"  and  the  Oronoco  "  be- 
gan to  rage,  and  overflowe  very  fearfully." 
Besides,  "the  menne  began  to  crie  out  for 
want  of  shift,"  having  no  change  of  clothes, 
and  their  single  suits  "throughly  washt  on 
their  bodies  for  the  most  part  tenne  times 
in  one  day."  They  passed  down  the  river 
rapidly  and  without  labour,  and  had  several 
interviews  with  the  chiefs  who  dwelt  on  its 
banks.  Their  hopes  of  much  gold  in  some 
future  enterprise  were  highly  excited  by  the 
reports  they  heard  and  the  few  specimens 
they  saw  ;  but  their  small  number,  their  past 
labours  and  fatigue,  all  persuaded  them  to 
undertake  nothing  farther  for  the  present. 
They  encountered  a  violent  storm  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  where  they  passed  through 
imminent  peril,  "  one  faintly  cheering  anoth- 
er to  showe  courage,"  and  at  length  safely  re- 
gained their  vessels  at  Trinidad. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  a  narrative  which 


RALEIGH.  333 

Hume*  says  is  "  full  of  the  grossest  and  most 
palpable  lies  that  were  ever  attempted  to  be 
imposed  on  the  credulity  of  mankind."  That 
historian's  bias  against  the  brave  and  unfortu- 
nate Raleigh  is  manifest  to  every  reader  of 
his  history.  Yet  his  sketch  of  Raleigh's  nar- 
rative, compared  with  the  narrative  itself, 
shows  that  he  had  read  the  latter  very  care- 
lessly, or  would  make  him  responsible  for  the 
truth  of  every  rumour  he  reported,  while 
Raleigh  himself  carefully  distinguishes  what 
he  saw  from  what  he  heard.  The  attentive 
reader  of  Sir  Walter's  narrative  will  be  struck 
with  his  extreme  credulity,  and  make  many 
allowances  for  an  earnest  enthusiasm  and  a 
poetic  fancy,  but  will  hardly  find  traces  of  a 
wilful  purpose  to  deceive. 

The  evidence  on  which  the  expedition  was 
projected  shows  a  large  faith  and  a  visionary 
imagination,  though  the  value  of  its  indica- 
tions is  seen  in  the  success  of  Cortez  and  Pi- 
zarro.  The  minds  of  men  in  general  in  that 
day,  and  of  individuals  two  hundred  years  la- 
ter, habitually  entertained  the  notion  of  the  El 
Dorado,  a  region  rich  beyond  all  human  ex- 

*  [Chap.  41.  In  another  place,  Appendix  B.  to  vol.  vii.,  p. 
384,  12mo  ed.,  he  boldly  charges  Raleigh  with  "  impudent  im- 
posture " — H.] 


334  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

perience  in  gold  and  gems,  in  the  heart  of 
South  America.  Though  they  doubted  of 
particulars,  they  had  full  faith  in  the  main. 
The  Spaniards  believed  the  way  to  this  re- 
gion was  through  the  Oronoco,  and  had  sent 
many  expeditions  to  search  it  out :  Antonio 
Sedenno,  with  five  hundred  men,  in  1536 ; 
Jala  alone  in  1560  ;  De  Orsua,  with  four  hun- 
dred, the  same  year ;  Orellana  in  1542.* 
These  expeditions  were  so  far  only  success- 
ful as  to  encourage  others.  Berreo  was  now 
waiting  for  a  re-enforcement  from  Spain  to 
enable  him  to  renew  this  enterprise.  An  ear- 
lier authority,  and  the  source  of  them  all, 
was  the  story  of  one  Martinez,  who,  in  the 
capacity  of  "  master  of  the  munition,"  had 
accompanied  Diego  Ordas,  a  knight  of  the 
order  of  St.  Jago,  in  a  voyage  to  this  region 
in  1531.  Ordas,  with  six  hundred  men  and 
thirty  horse,  was  said  to  have  penetrated  as 
far  as  Morequito,  and  was  killed  in  a  mutiny 
of  his  men.  Martinez,  for  some  negligence, 
was  sentenced  by  Ordas  to  be  executed,  but, 
instead,  was  put  afloat  on  the  river  alone  in 
a  canoe,  taken  up  by  the  natives,  carried 
through  the  country  many  days  blindfolded, 
and  at  last  to  their  capital,  "  the  golden  city 

*  [Hakluyt,  iii.,  690.— H.] 


RALEIGH.  335 

of  Manoa."  He  reported  that  he  was  car- 
ried in  blindfold,  and  travelled  in  it  a  day  and 
a  half  before  he  reached  the  palace  of  the 
inca ;  that  he  remained  there  seven  months, 
and  saw  there  golden  statues  and  shields, 
plates  and  armour  of  gold  which  they  used 
in  war,  and  many  other  tokens  of  vast  wealth. 
He  therefore  named  the  country  El  Dorado, 
i.  e.,  the  golden.  He  told  this  on  his  return, 
and  reaffirmed  it  on  his  deathbed  to  his  con- 
fessor. This  story  was  reported  by  Berreo, 
who  was  engaged  in  the  same  enterprise,  and 
was  doubtless  believed  by  Sir  Walter.  Cre- 
dulity was  the  fault  of  the  age,  and  was  more 
reasonable  then  than  now,  as  every  day 
brought  new  rumours  of  rich  countries  to  be 
won  by  adventurous  conquest,  and  grave  his- 
torians coolly  affirmed  the  most  prodigious 
marvels.* 

The  reports  that  came  to  England  with  the 
company  were  received  with  much  distrust. 
Little  ore  was  brought  to  satisfy  the  public 
expectation,  though  of  that  which  was  brought, 
a  part,  at  least,  proved  good  on  assay.  Sir 
Walter  was  accused  of  false  dealing,  even  of 
having  lain  hid  in  Cornwall  all  the  time  of  the 

*  [See  the  passages  from  Gomara  cited  by  Sir  Walter.— 
Hackluyt,  634,  &c.— H.] 


336  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

voyage.  From  these  suspicions  he  clears 
himself,  with  sad  earnestness,  in  his  letter  to 
Howard  and  Cecil,*  affirming  that  he  had  re- 
turned "  a  beggar  and  withered,"  and  publish- 
ing his  confidence  in  the  merits  and  final  suc- 
cess of  the  scheme,  with  arguments  which, 
though  they  may  have  somewhat  fanciful  in 
them,  prove  the  patriot  and  the  hero.  "  The 
common  souldier,"  says  he,  in  his  eloquent 
vindication,  "  shall  fight  for  gold,  and  pay 
himself,  insteede  of  pence,  with  plates  of 
halfe  a  foote  broade,  whereas  he  breaketh  his 
bones  in  other  warres  for  provant  and  penury. 
Those  commanders  and  chieftains  that  shoot 
at  honour  and  abundance,  shall  finde  them 
more  riche  and  beautifull  cities,  more  temples 
adorned  with  golden  images,  more  sepulchres 
filled  with  treasure,  than  either  Cortez  found  in 
Mexico,  or  Pizarro  in  Peru ;  and  the  shining 
glorie  of  this  conquest  will  eclipse  all  those  so 
farr  :  extended  beams  of  the  Spanish  nation." 
Men  who  could  offer,  and  be  touched  by  such 
inducements,  would  engage,  with  ready  heart 
and  resolute  hope,  in  schemes  which  the  com- 
mercial prudence  of  later  times  would  scout 
as  visionary,  and  turn  away  from  as  imprac- 
ticable. The  spirit  of  heroic  adventure  had 
*  [Prefixed  to  his  narrative  of  his  voyage  to  Guiana. — H.J 


RALEIGH.  337 

not  yet  given  way  to  the  more  palpable  bene- 
fits of  a  system  of  colonization,  and  the  diffi- 
culty, danger,  and  vastness  of  an  enterprise 
was  still  to  many  a  charm  of  no  less  power 
than  gold  or  precious  stones. 

But  Sir  Walter  had  large  views  of  public 
policy.  "  The  West  Indies,"  he  continues, 
"  were  first  offered  her  majesty's  grandfather 
by  Columbus,  a  stranger  in  whom  there  might 
be  doubt  of  deceipt,  and  besides,  it  was  then 
thought  incredible  that  there  were  such  and 
so  many  lands  and  regions  never  written  of 
before.  This  empire  is  made  knowen  to  hei 
majestic  by  her  owne  vassell,  and  by  him 
that  oweth  to  her  more  dutie  than  an  ordina- 
rie  subject,  so  that  it  shall  ill  sort  with  the 
many  graces  and  benefites  which  I  have  re- 
vived to  abuse  her  highnesse  either  with  fa- 
bles or  imaginations.  The  countrey  is  alrea- 
die  discovered,  manie  nations  wonne  to  her 
majestie's  love  and  obedience,  and  those 
Spaniards  who  have  latest  and  longest  la- 
boured about  the  conquest,  beaten  out,  dis- 
couraged, and  disgraced,  which  among  those 
nations  were  thought  invincible  ....  What- 
soever prince  shall  possesse  it  shall  be  great- 
est, and  if  the  King  of  Spaine  enjoy  it,  he  will 
become  irresistible.  Her  majestic  shall  here- 


338  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

by  confirrne  and  strengthen  the  opinions  of  all 
nations  as  touching  her  great  and  princely 
actions ....  The  charge  will  only  be  in  the 
first  setting  out,  in  victualling  and  arming ; 
for,  after  the  first  or  second  yere,  I  doubt  not 
hjat  to  see  in  London  a  contractation-house  of 
more  receipt  for  Guiana  than  there  is  now  in 
Sivill  for  the  West  Indies." 

The  voyage  to  Guiana  was  undertaken 
partly,  perhaps,  with  a  view  to  restore  him- 
self to  favour  at  court  by  a  noble  and  con- 
spicuous achievement,  and  partly  "  by  absence 
to  expel  the  passion  of  his  enemies,  and  to 
teach  envy  a' new  way  of  forgetfulness."* 
His  success  either,  way  was  but  indifferent. 
The  public  expectation  was  greatly  disap- 
pointed j  his  enemies  had  time  and  free  room 
to  perfect  their  schemes  against  him;  and  he 
was  not,  certainly  not  at  once,  received  at 
court  on  his  return,  though  "  there  were  great 
means  made"  for  it.  But  Raleigh's  enthusi- 
asm for  his  favourite  project  was  not  without 
effect. 

Immediately  on  his  return  he  began  to 
make  preparations  for  a  second  expedition. 
The  lord-treasurer  adventured  in  it  £500,  and 
Sir  Robert  Cecil  "  a  new  ship,  bravely  fur* 

*  [Sir  Robert  Naunton.—  H.] 


RALEIGH.  339 

nished."     Two   ships,  the   Darling  and  the 
Discoverer,  were   put  under  the    charge  of 
Laurence  Keymis,  who  had  gone  with  Ra- 
leigh in  the  former  voyage.     He  sailed  Jan- 
uary 26,  1596,  and  returned  in  June  of  the 
same  year.     His  narrative  of  the  voyage  is 
preserved    in    Hakluyt,    hi.,    672—687.      He 
gained  considerable  knowledge  of  the  coast 
and  rivers,  and  made  diligent  inquiry  for  the 
position  of  Manoa.     He  sailed  up  the  Rale- 
ana,  as  he  named  the  Oronoco,  as  far  as  the 
mouth  of  the  Caroli,  where  he  found  a  com- 
pany of  Spaniards,  with  a  village  of  some 
twenty  houses,  and  a  fort  on  a  rocky  island 
in  the  river.     He  went  within,  as  he  suppo- 
sed, about  fifteen  miles  of  the  gold  mine,  but 
was  prevented  from  reaching  it  by  fear  of  the 
Spaniards  (who  had  left  their  town  to  plant 
an  ambush  on  the  passage  leading  to  it),  and 
returned  after  two  days  in  the  belief  that  they 
might  easily  have  intercepted  his  company  on 
their  way  down  the  river.     He  learned  that 
the  Spaniards  were  universally  hated  by  the 
Indians ;  and,  though  he  brought  home  none 
of  the  precious  metals,  he  reported  "  that  the 
Ampagotos  have  images  of  gold  of  incredi- 
ble bigness."     He  reaffirmed  the  story  of  the 
headless  men,  and  adds,  "  What  I  have  heard 


340  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

of  a  sort  of  people  more  monstrous,  I  omit  to 
mention,  because  it  is  no  matter  of  difficulty 
to  get  one  of  them,  and  the  report  otherwise 
will  appear  fabulous."  He  appears  to  have 
been  a  shrewd  and  honest  observer,  and  to 
have  returned  with  a  thorough  conviction 
that  success  must  yet  crown  the  adventure. 
"Myself,"  he  says,  "  and  the  remains  of  my 
few  years  I  have  bequeathed  wholly  to  Rale- 
ana,  and  all  my  thoughts  live  only  in  that 
action." 

In  1596  Sir  Walter  was  engaged  in  the 
famous  expedition  to  Cadiz.  The  queen  had 
been  led  to  fear  that  Philip  was  seriously  and 
earnestly  preparing  for  war  with  England,  if 
not  for  another  attempted  invasion.  She  re- 
solved to  prevent  the  latter  contingency  at 
least,  by  attacking  him  in  his  own  ports.  For 
this  purpose  a  fleet  of  seventeen  ships-of-war 
and  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  smaller 
vessels  was  fitted  out,  and  seven  thousand 
soldiers  and  about  the  same  number  of  sea- 
men were  embarked.  The  Earl  of  Essex 
commanded  the  land  forces,  and  Lord  Charles 
Howard,  of  Effingham,  the  fleet.  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  had  the  command  of  one  of  the  four 
squadrons  into  which  the  fleet  was  divided, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  council  of  war.  He 


RALEIGH.  341 

did  not  reach  Plymouth,  from  which  they 
were  to  sail,  till  some  days  after  the  other 
commanders.  The  cause  of  his  delay  is  not 
known,  though  it  occasioned  some  distrust 
and  dissatisfaction  at  the  time ;  being  sus 
pected  to  be,  as  Anthony  Bacon  wrote  to  his 
brother  Sir  Francis,  "upon  pregnant  design, 
which  will  be  brought  forth  very  shortly." 
Some  dissensions  between  him  and  his  broth- 
er-officers, which  were  ascribed  to  his  hostili- 
ty to  Essex,  happened  by  the  way,  which 
were  soon,  in  appearance,  reconciled. 

The  fleet  sailed  on  the  first  of  June,  and 
came  to  anchor  near  Cadiz  on  the  twentieth. 
Sir  Walter  has  left  a  "  relation  of  the  Cadiz 
action,"*  which  we  follow.  The  command- 
ers, in  Sir  Walter's  absence,  had  determined 
first  to  attack  the  town.  At  his  suggestion, 
however,  they  concluded  first  to  attempt  the 
ships  and  fort  which  occupied  and  defended 
the  harbour.  At  his  own  request,  he  was  di- 
rected to  board  the  "great  galleons  of  Spain," 
in  fly-boats  to  be  sent  up  for  that  purpose. 
The  Spanish  men-of-war  were  arranged  in 
several  lines,  with  "  seventeen  galleys  to  in- 

*  [Published  in  the  "  genuine  remains"  of  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
\eigh,  App.  No.  ii.,  p.  19-25  to  the  abridgment  of  his  History  of 
the  World,  by  his  grandson,  Philip  Raleigh. — H.] 


342  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY.- 

terlace  them,  as  occasion  should  be  offered," 
in  such  manner  as  to  cover  the  entrance  "  as 
a  bridge."  The  English  fleet,  in  entering, 
met  a  "  fort  called  the  Philip,  which  beat 
and  commanded  the  harbour.  There  were 
also  ordnance,  which  lay  all  along  the  curtain 
upon  the  wall  towards  the  sea,  and  divers 
pieces  of  culverin,  which  scoured  the  chan- 
nel," and  then  the  galleys.  Sir  "Walter's  ships 
entered  foremost,  and  answered  the  fire  of 
the  fort  and  the  galleys,  "  to  each  piece  a 
blurr  with  a  trumpet,  esteeming  them  as  but 
wasps,"  and  aiming  at  "the  St.  Philip,  the 
great  and  famous  admiral  of  Spain." 

The  other  ships  came  up  in  order,  but  Ra- 
leigh "  held  single  in  the  head  of  all."  The 
fight  continued  about  three  hours,  when,  the 
fly-boats  having  not  come  up,  he  "  laid  out  a 
warp  by  the  side  of  the  Philip  to  shake  hands 
with  her,"  when  the  Spaniards,  perceiving  it, 
slipped  their  cables  and  ran  their  ships  ashore. 
Eight  only  of  the  English  ships  were  enga- 
ged, and  of  the  Spaniards  fifty-five.  The 
soldiers  were  then  landed,  and  the  town  ta- 
ken "  Avith  a  sudden  fury  and  with  little  loss." 
In  this  action  Sir  Walter  received  a  grievous- 
wound  in  the  leg,  which  prevented  him  from 
taking  a  part  in  the  sacking  of  the  town.  The 


RALEIGH.  343 

conclusion  of  his  "  relation"  curiously  shows 
how  wars  were  carried  on  in  those  days. 
"  The  town  of  Gales  was  very  rich  in  mer- 
chandise, in  plate,  and  money  :  many  rich 
prisoners  given  to  the  land  commanders ;  so 
as  that  sort  are  very  rich.  Some  had  prison- 
ers for  16,000  ducats,  some  for  20,000,  some 
for  10,000  ;  and,  besides,  great  houses  of  mer- 
chandise. What  the  generals  have  gotten,  I 
know  least :  they  protest  it  is  little.  For  mine 
own  part,  I  have  gotten  a  lame  leg  and  a  de- 
formed. For  the  rest,  either  I  spake  too  late, 
or  it  was  otherwise  resolved.  I  have  not 
wanted  good  words,  and  exceeding  kind  and 
regardful  usance  ;  but  I  have  possession  of 
naught  but  poverty  and  pain.  If  God  had 
spared  me  that  blow,  I  had  possest  myself 
of  some  house."  The  contemporary  testi- 
monies to  the  valour  and  skilful  conduct  of 
Sir  Walter  in  this  action  are  abundant.  The. 
army  re-embarked  July  5,  and  reached  Ply- 
mouth August  10. 

On  his  return  from  the  expedition  to  Cadiz, 
Sir  Walter  prepared  for  a  third  voyage  to 
Guiana.  He  fitted  out  for  this  purpose  a 
stout  pinnace,  the  Wat,  and  placed  it  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Leonard  Birnie.  A 
relation  of  the  voyage  by  Thomas  Masliam,  a 


344  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

gentleman  of  the  company,  is  preserved  in 
Hakluyt,  iii. ,  692-697.  They  left  Weymouth 
December  27, 1596,  and  returned  to  Plymouth 
June  28,  1597,  having  explored  a  large  ex- 
tent of  the  coast  of  Guiana,  and  entered  many 
of  the  rivers.  They  brought  back,  however, 
little  information,  except  the  geography  of  the 
coast,  and  the  report  of  the  natives  that  those 
who  dwelt  in  the  interior  had  "  great  store  of 
gold :"  enough  to  excite  curiosity  and  stimu- 
late to  farther  enterprise,  but  nothing  to  grati- 
fy them. 

It  was  not  till  his  return  from  the  expedi- 
tion to  Cadiz  that  he  was  completely  restored 
to  the  queen's  favour.  He  was  powerful  in 
the  politic  friendship  of  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  now 
secretary  of  state.  The  influence  of  Essex, 
his  enemy,  was  declining.  He  was  employed 
to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  these  two 
noblemen.  They  were  all  rivals,  though  seem- 
ingly on  the  most  intimate  terms.  A  contem- 
porary letter-writer,  under  date  of  June  2d, 
1597,  says  :  "  Yesterday  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
was  brought  to  the  queen  by  Sir  Robert  Cecil, 
who  used  him  very  graciously,  and  gave  him 
full  authority  to  execute  his  place  as  captain 
of  the  guard,  which  immediately  he  under- 
took. In  the  evening  he  rode  abroad  with  the 


RALEIGH.  345 

queen,  and  had  private  conference  with  her ; 
and  now  he  comes  boldly  to  the  privy-cham- 
ber as  he  was  wont."  Though  the  displeas- 
ure under  which  he  had  long  laboured  was 
removed,  Sir  Walter  made  little  progress  in 
Jhe  preferments  he  desired.  He  was  anxious 
to  be  made  a  baron,  to  be  chosen  vice-cham- 
berlain, to  be  called  to  the  privy-council.  In 
all  these  points  his  wishes  were  steadily  eva- 
ded or  declined.  The  only  post  he  gained, 
from  a  mistress  who  bestowed  honours  with 
cautious  jealousy  even  on  her  favourites,  was 
the  government  of  Jersey,  with  a  grant  of  a 
manor  in  the  same  island.  His  commission 
was  dated  August  26,  1600. 

Meanwhile,  in  1597,  a  great  fleet  was  equip- 
ped for  what  was  called  the  Island  Voyage. 
It  consisted  of  120  ships,  and  was  designed 
to  intercept  the  Plate-fleet  near  the  Azores. 
Essex  was  commander-in-chief,  and  Raleigh 
rear-admiral.  They  sailed  from  Plymouth 
August  17.  Being  disappointed  of  the  fleet, 
it  was  determined,  in  a  council  of  war,  that 
Essex  and  Raleigh  should  jointly  attack  Fay- 
al.  Departing  from  Flores,  the  place  of  their 
first  rendezvous,  the  two  squadrons  were  ac- 
cidentally separated,  and  Raleigh  arrived  first. 
Having  waited  two  days  for  Essex,  and  find- 


346  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

ing  that  the  enemy  were  busily  completing 
their  preparations  for  defence,  he  held  a  coun- 
cil of  his  officers,  in  which  it  was  decided  that, 
if  Essex  did  not  arrive  the  next  day,  it  would 
become  Sir  Walter's  duty  to  make  the  attack 
alone,  and  without  farther  delay.  On  the 
fourth  day,  the  earl  having  not  yet  come,  Sir 
Walter  followed  the  decision  of  the  council, 
and,  landing  with  a  small  portion  of  his  force, 
took  possession  of  the  town,  with  slight  loss. 
The  next  day  Essex  arrived,  and  was  much 
exasperated  that  Raleigh  had  dared  to  make 
the  attempt  without  him.  He  had  long  been 
jealous  of  Sir  Walter,  and  naturally  conceiv- 
ed himself  injured,  and  deprived  of  an  occa- 
sion of  honour  by  the  forwardness  of  one 
whom  he  hated.  Several  of  the  officers  who 
had  been  concerned  in  the  enterprise  were  ca- 
shiered and  confined  ;  and  it  was  only  on  con- 
cessions and  submissions  made  by  Raleigh,  at 
the  instance  of  Lord  Howard,  that  the  earl's 
indignation  was  for  the  time  appeased.  The 
earl's  proceedings  were,  however,  "  much 
mistaken  in  England,  and  Sir  Walter  gained 
large  additions  to  his  reputation  for  military 
skill  and  experience  at  sea." 

The  career  of  the  brave  and  popular,  but 
impetuous  and  hasty  Earl  of  Essex  was  now 


RALEIGH.  347 

drawing  to  its  close.  He  had  provoked  the 
queen's  displeasure  by  various  rash  sayings 
and  actions  ;  and,  on  his  untimely  return  from 
his  government  of  Ireland,  he  was  arrested 
by  her  order,  and  treated  with  unexpected 
severity. 

Despairing  of  a  restoration  to  her  majesty's 
favour,  he  formed  the  wild  scheme  of  raising 
an  insurrection  in  the  city  of  London,  of  seiz- 
ing the  queen's  person,  and  expelling  by  force 
his  enemies  from  the  court.  The  plan  was 
communicated  by  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges,  a 
partisan  of  Essex,  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  and 
by  him,  it  is  supposed,  to  the  queen.  The 
attempted  rising  proved  a  failure,  and  Essex 
was  imprisoned,  and  subjected  to  the  power  of 
his  enemies.  In  this  number  he  counted  Ra- 
leigh ;  and,  as  one  of  the  pretexts  of  his  rebell- 
ion, had  caused  a  rumour  to  be  circulated  that 
Cobham  and  Raleigh  were  plotting  against 
his  life.  This  charge  was  amply  refuted  by 
Blount,  a  creature  of  Essex's,  who  testified 
on  his  trial  that  this  rumour  was  only  "  a  word 
cast  out  to  colour  other  matters." 

While,  however,  the  fate  of  Essex  was  in 
suspense,  Sir  Walter  wrote  a  letter  to  Sir 
Robert  Cecil,*  which  has  been  used  in  later 

*  [Burghley  State  Papers,  i.,  811.— H.] 
I.— Do 


348  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

times  to  prove  his  malice  against  Essex,  and 
an  indecent  anxiety  for  his  death.  Raleigh 
was  doubtless  his  enemy,  and  would  have 
been  glad  to  have  him  out  of  the  way ;  but 
the  letter  bears,  and  I  think  -requires,  a  less 
harsh  construction,  and  recommends  a  last- 
ing imprisonment  or  degradation  perhaps, 
but  not  an  execution.  "  The  less  you  make 
him,"  he  says,  "  the  less  he  shall  be  able  to 
harm  you  and  yours ;  and  if  her  majesty's 
favour  fail  him,  he  will  again  decline  to  a 
common  person  ....  Look  to  the  present,  and 
do  you  wisely  ....  Lose  not  your  advantage  ; 
if  you  do,  I  read  your  destiny.  Let  the  queen 
hold  Bothwell  while  she  hath  him;  he  will 
ever  be  the  canker  of  her  estate  and  safety 
I  have  seen  the  last  of  her  good  days,  and  all 
ours,  after  his  liberty."  The  advice  here 
given  is  clearly  to  crush  the  earl,  and  it  may 
have  been  cautiously  worded,  so  as  to  urge 
Cecil  -to  accomplish  his  death.  Raleigh  was 
present  as  captain  of  the  guard  at  the  trial 
and  execution  of  Essex,  and  a  report  was 
then  spread  that  he  attended  the  execution 
to  gratify  his  hatred  by  the  sight  of  his  ene- 
my's suffering.  Certainly  his  supposed  con- 
nexion with  the  death  of  Essex  added  to  his 
former  unpopularity.  It  was  a  misfortune  to 


RALEIGH.  349 

him  in  another  way.  The  power  of  Cecil 
had  hitherto  been  checked  by  the  power  of 
Essex.  Now  Cecil  became  absolute,  and 
could  exert,  without  division,  his  influence 
and  intrigues  against  his  only  remaining  and 
less  powerful  rival. 

Such  was  Raleigh's  own  view  of  it  in  his 
later  years.  In  his  speech  on  the  morning  of 
his  execution,  he  said,  referring  to  the  death 
of  Essex,  "  After  his  fall  I  got  the  hatred  of 
those  who  wished  me  well  before  ;  and  those 
who  set  me  against  him,  set  themselves  after- 
ward against  me,  and  were  my  greatest  ene- 
mies." 

Sir  Walter  sat  in  Elizabeth's  last  Parlia- 
ment, which  met  October  27, 1601,  as  one  of 
the  knights  of  the  shire  for  the  county  of  Corn- 
wall, and  was  distinguished  by  his  abilities 
as  a  debater.  Of  several  speeches  which  have 
been  briefly  reported,  the  one  in  opposition 
to  the  act  for  sowing  hemp  shows  more  lib- 
eral views  than  then  prevailed  touching  the 
protective  policy  of  government.  "  For  my 
part,"  said  he,  "  I  do  not  like  this  constrain- 
ing of  men  to  manure  or  use  their  grounds  at 
our  wills,  but  rather  let  every  man  use  his 
ground  to  that  which  it  is  most  fit  for,  and 
therein  use  his  own  discretion." 


350  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

The  queen  died  in  March,  1603,  and  with 
her  the  honours  and  hopes,  but  not  the  fame, 
of  Sir  Walter.  Her  successor,  James  I.,  as- 
cended the  throne  with  strong  prejudices 
against  him,  which  had  been  originated  by 
the  hatred  of  Essex,  and  fomented  by  the 
crafty  insinuations  of  Cecil.  It  must  be  add- 
ed that  Raleigh  was  generally  very  unpopu- 
lar. We  may  suppose  him  to  have  been  lit- 
tle less  haughty  to  his  equals  and  inferiors 
than  he  was  submissive  and  subservient  to 
the  queen.  His  ambition,  which  was  never 
concealed,  was  commonly  believed  to  be 
grasping  and  unscrupulous,  and  his  credit  for 
veracity  and  truth  seems  not  to  have  been  of 
the  highest  order.  Sir  Robert  Naunton  says, 
"  We  are  not  to  doubt  how  such  a  man  would 
comply  to  progression ;"  and  his  preface  to 
the  account  of  his  first,  and  his  apology  for 
his  last  voyage  to  Guiana  fully  show  the  dis- 
trust with  which  his  representations  were  re- 
ceived. How  far  this  prevailing  unpopulari- 
ty of  Sir  Walter  may  have  influenced  the 
conduct  of  James,  we  do  not  know.  An  es- 
sential  difference  of  character  and  views  be- 
tween that  monarch  and  Raleigh  may  have 
contributed  to  perfect  a  dislike  which  was 
early  expressed  and  hardly  ever  concealed. 


RALEIGH.  351 

James  was  timid  and  pacific,  Raleigh  brave 
and  adventurous,  "addicted  to  foreign  affairs 
and  great  actions."*  The  favourite  policy 
of  James  was  to  conciliate  the  court  of  Spain  ; 
Raleigh  had  fought  against  and  spoiled  the 
Spaniards,  and  cordially  disliked  them  for 
their  power  at  sea.  Raleigh  was  a  scholar 
and  a  poet,  James  was  a  theologian  and  a 
pedant.  James  could  hardly  appreciate  the 
character  of  Raleigh,  and  Raleigh  could  not 
sympathize  with  the  character  of  James. 

The  poison  began  speedily  to  work.  Ra- 
leigh at  first  received  such  favourable  notice 
from  the  king  as  to  encourage  his  hopes  of 
royal  favour ;  but,  one  after  another,  his  of- 
fices and  privileges  were  taken  away,  and  in 
less  than  three  months  after  the  king  entered 
England  he  was  arrested  on  a  charge  of  high 
treason.  He  was  charged  with  a  design  to 
take  away  the  king's  life  and  bring  the  Lady 
Arabella  Stuart  to  the  throne  ;  with  having 
negotiated  with  the  Spanish  ambassador  for 
the  means  of  carrying  on  the  plot,  and  having 
received  a  pension  for  his  aid  and  services. 
The  whole  pretended  plot  is  at  war  with  the 
known  habits,  feelings,  and  opinions  of  Ra* 

*  [A  brief  Delation  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  Troubles. — Har 
teian  Miscellany,  vol.  iv.,  p.  58,  4to,  1745.— H.] 


352  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

leigh,  and  sustained  by  evidence  too  feeble 
and  slight  not  only  to  prove  legal,  but  even 
moral  guiltiness.  The  only  fact  established 
was  an  offer  from  Count  Aremberg  of  a  pen- 
sion, or  the  sum  of  8000  crowns,  for  what  pur- 
pose does  not  appear,  and  which  was  not  ac- 
cepted. The  only  witness,  Lord  Cobham,  a 
vain,  weak  man,  who  was  never  confronted 
even  with  the  prisoner,  made  his  accusation 
in  a  fit  of  passion,  and  retracted  it  again  and 
again,  pronouncing  Raleigh  utterly  and  en- 
tirely innocent.  The  whole  case  was  too 
weak  to  have  convicted  any  one  of  the  pet- 
tiest larceny.  Yet  Raleigh  was  found  guilty 
by  the  verdict  of  the  jury,  and,  it  would  seem, 
with  the  full  consent  of  the  court,*  which 

*»[ An  analysis  of  the  evidence  on  which  this  most  extraordi- 
nary conviction  was  grounded,  such  as  would  satisfy  the  read- 
er, would  be  too  long,  and  require  too  much  detail  to  be 
inserted  here.  It  may  be  found  very  fully  given  in  Cayley's 
Life  of  Raleigh,  in  Jardine's  Criminal  Trials,  vol.  i.,  the  State 
Trials,  vol.  i.  and  ii.,  and  in  Tytler's  Life  of  Raleigh.  The 
kst-named  writer  attempts  (Appendix  F.)  very  plausibly  to 
prove  that  the  whole  plot  was  a  device  of  Sir  Robert  Cecil  and 
Sir  Henry  Howard  by  which  to  get  rid  of  Raleigh.  The  whole 
case  shows  that  there  was  a  determination  in  some  powerful 
quarter  that  he  should  be  put  out  of  the  way. 

Cobham  was  examined  ten  times  touching  the  conspiracy,  and 
varied  his  story  almost  as  many  times,  and  yet  in  the  most  of  them 
he  exculpated  Raleigh.  No  one  who  knows  the  feeble,  cow- 
ardly character  of  this  nobleman,  can  doubt  that  his  confession 


RALEIGH.  353 

was  made  up  of  cold  friends  and  secret  ene- 
mies. 

The  demeanour  of  Raleigh  on  his  trial  was 
such  as  became  him.  With  the  firmness  of 
innocence  and  with  manly  spirit  he  bore  the 
coarse  and  brutal  invective  of  Coke,  and  the 
hardly  less  rude  taunts  of  Popham,  and  the 
studied  insincerity  of  Cecil  ;  •  claiming  his 
rights  with  Saxon  boldness,  yet  patiently  sub- 
missive to  the  authority  which  tried  him. 
Sir  Dudley  Carleton,  who  was  an  eyewit- 
ness of  the  trial,  in  a  letter*  to  John  Cham- 
berlain, dated  Nov.  27th,  1603,  describing  it, 
testifies  that  "  he  answered  with  that  temper, 
wit,  learning,  courage,  and  judgment,  that, 
save  it  went  with  the  hazard  of  his  life,  it  was 
the  happiest  day  that  he  ever  spent.  And  so 
well  he  shifted  all  advantages  that  were  ta- 
ken against  him,  that,  were  not  an  ill  name 

on  the  scaffold  was  made  under  the  promise  that  his  life  should 
be  spared,  and  was  the  meanest  part  in  this  solemn  farce. 

It  has  always  seemed  to  me  a  curious  feature  of  this  pretend- 
ed plot,  that  none  but  Raleigh  and  Cobham  were  imagined  to  be 
privy  to  it.  Their  own  means  and  influence  were  certainly  in- 
adequate, and  yet  there  was  no  suspicion  that  any  other  person 
had  any  connexion  with  it. — H.] 

*  [Preserved  in  the  Hardwicke  Papers,  vol.  i.,  p.  378,  seqq. 
Compare  the  account  of  the  conspiracy  by  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  in 
a  letter  of  December  1st,  1603,  to  Sir  Thomas  Parry. — Cavley, 
ii.,  59.— H.] 


354  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

half  hanged,  in  the  opinion  of  all  men  he  had 
been  acquitted."  He  adds  that  a  Scotsman 
who  witnessed  the  proceedings  "said  that 
whereas,  when  he  saw  him  first,  he  was  so  led 
with  the  common  hatred  that  he  would  have 
gone  a  hundred  miles  to  have  seen  hkn  hang- 
ed, he  would,  ere  he  parted,  have  gone  a  thou- 
sand to  have  Saved  his  life."* 

But  ability,  eloquence,  even  innocence,  so 
powerful  over  disinterested  spectators,  had  no 
effect  on  a  hostile  court  and  a  pliant  jury ; 
and  still  less  when  they  believed,  from  too 
sure  indications,  that  the  surest  way  to  raise 
themselves  was  to  destroy  their  victim.  The 
trial  took  place  at  Winchester,  Nov.  17th, 
1603,  and  the  sentence  was  duly  pronounced, 
condemning  him  to  the  horrible  penalties  of 
treason.  "  Lost"  was  he,  as  he  said  in  a  let- 
ter to  the  king,  "  for  hearing  a  vain  man  ; 
for  hearing  only,  and  never  believing  or  ap- 
proving." He  was  for  some  time  detained 
at  Winchester,  where  he  waited  in  daily  ex- 

*  [This  was  not  the  impression  of  a  single  person.  Carle- 
ton  adds,  "  Never  was  a  man  so  hated  and  so  popular  in  so  short 
a  time."  Among  other  testimonies  that  it  was  not  singular,  we 
have  this  in  a  letter  of  Sir  Walter,  written  at  the  close  of  his  im- 
prisonment to  Sir  Ralph  Winwood,  that  the  Prince  Henry,  the 
queen,  and  the  King  of  Denmark  had  petitioned  in  his  favour. 
"  The  wife,  the  brother,  and  the  son  of  a  king  do  not  use  to  sue 
for  men  suspect." — H.] 


RALEIGH.  355 

pectation  of  death,  the  king  having,  with  a 
refinement  of  cruelty,  taken  care  that  he 
should  be  informed  that  the  warrant  for  his 
execution  had  been  prepared. 

During  this  interval  of  suspense  he  wrote 
a  touching  farewell  letter  to  his  wife  : 

"  You  shall  now  receive,  my  dear  wife,  my 
last  words  in  these  my  last  lines.  My  love  I 
send  you,  that  you  may  keep  it  when  I  am 
dead  ;  and  my  counsel,  that  you  may  remem- 
ber it  when  I  am  no  more.  I  would  not,  by 
my  will,  present  you  with  sorrows,  dear  Bess  ; 
let  them  go  into  the  grave  with  me,  and  be 
buried  in  the  dust.  And,  seeing  it  is  not  the 
will  of  God  that  ever  I  shall  see  you  more  in 
this  life,  bear  it  patiently,  and  with  a  heart 
like  thyself.  ...  I  beseech  you,  for  the  love 
you  bear  me  living,  do  not  hide  yourself 
many  days  after  my  death ;  but  by  your 
travail  seek  to  help  your  miserable  fortunes 
and  the  right  of  your  poor  child.*  Thy 
mournings  cannot  avail  me  ;  I  am  but  dust. 
.  .  If  you  can  live  free  from  want,  care  for 
no  more  ;  the  rest  is  but  vanity.  Love  God, 
and  begin  betimes  to  repose  yourself  on  him  ; 

*  [Walter,  whom  he  lost  at  Guiana.     Carcw  was  born  af- 
terward, in  the  Tower. — H.] 


AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

and  therein  shall  you  find  true  and  Lasting 
riches  and  endless  comfort.  For  the  rest, 
when  you  have  travailed  and  wearied  your 
thoughts  over  all  sorts  of  worldly  cogitations, 
you  shall  but  sit  down  by  sorrow  in  the  end. 
.  .  .  When  I  am  gone,  no  doubt  you  shall  be 
sought  to  by  many,  for  the  world  thinks  that 
I  was  very  rich.  But  take  heed  of  the  pre- 
tences of  men  and  their  affections.  ...  I 
speak  not  this,  God  knows,  to  dissuade  from 
marriage ;  for  it  will  be  best  for  you,  both 
in  respect  of  the  world  and  of  God.  As  for 
me,  I  am  no  more  yours,  nor  you  mine. 
Death  has  cut  us  asunder,  and  God  hath  di- 
vided me  from  the  world,  and  you  from  me. 
Remember  your  poor  child  for  his  father's 
sake,  who  chose  you  and  loved  you  in  his 
happiest  time.  Get  those  letters,  if  it  be 
possible,  which  I  writ  to  the  lords,  wherein  I 
sued  for  my  life.  God  is  my  witness  it  was 
for  you  and  yours  that  I  desired  life.  But  it 
is  true  that  I  disdain  myself  for  begging  it : 
for  know  it,  dear  wife,  that  your  son  is  the 
son  of  a  true  man,  and  one  who,  in  his  own 
respect,  despiseth  death  in  all  his  misshapen 
and  ugly  forms.  .  .  .  Written  with  the  dying 
hand  of  some  time  thy  husband,  but  now, 
alas  !  overthrown — yours  that  was,  but  now 
not  my  own,  WALTER  RALEGH." 


RALEIGH. 


But  the  axe,  by  which  he  expected  speed- 
ily to  suffer,  was  to  be  suspended  over  him 
for  years.  To  complete  this  miserable  farce, 
Cobham  and  Grey  were  reprieved  at  the 
block,  and  Raleigh  was  remanded  to  the 
Tower  to  await  the  king's  pleasure. 

We  have  followed  the  career  of  Raleigh  as 
a  soldier,  a  courtier,  a  discoverer,  a  politi- 
cian. We  are  now  to  look  upon  him  in  a 
scene  more  trying  th»n  were  they  all.  Few 
men  can  bear  gracefully  the  weariness  of  a 
long  imprisonment ;  fewer  still  whose  habits 
have  been  as  active,  and  whose  temper  so  ad- 
venturous as  his.  He  was  shut  out  from  al- 
most all  that  had  been  the  delight  of  his  for- 
mer life ;  there  were  no  more  campaigns  or 
voyages,  masques  or  intrigues  of  court.  Yet 
his  versatile  powers  sustained  him  patiently 
and  cheerfully  through.  His  faithful  wife 
and  son  were  not  excluded.  A  few  attend- 
ants were  allowed  him.  Thomas  Heriot  re- 
mained near  his  person,  and  the  few  friends 
whom  his  merits  and  misfortunes  made  might 
sometimes  solace  him  by  their  visits.  He 
turned  again  for  relief  to  his  books,  which  he 
had  always  loved,  and  which  had  been  his 
companions  in  his  busiest  hours.  Poetry, 
philosophy,  history,  politics,  chymistry,  by 


358  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

turns  occupied  his  attention.  He  converted 
a  small  house  in  the  garden  belonging  to  the 
Tower  into  a  laboratory,  and  "spent  all  the 
day  in  distillations."  Among  other  proofs 
of  his  ingenuity  and  success  was  a  famous 
cordial,  for  which  he  made  the  recipe,  and 
which  has  since  gone  by  the  name  of  Sir 
Walter's  cordial.  Here  he  wrote,  too,  most 
of  those  works  which  have  gained  him  a  rep- 
utation, hardly  surpassed  by  his  fame  as  a 
soldier  and  discoverer.*  Foremost  among 
which,  in  the  judgment  of  posterity,  is  his 
History  of  the  World.  Whether  we  consid- 
er the  vastness  of  the  scheme,  and  the  scanty 
resources  which  his  imprisonment  allowed 
him  for  its  execution,  the  abundant  Jearning 
everywhere  displayed  in  it,  the  nervous  and 
elegant  style,  the  exuberant  fancy,  and  the 
sad  yet  patient  morality  which  characterize  it, 
we  cannot  but  judge  it  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable literary  productions  the  world  has 
ever  seen. 

*  [The  miscellaneous  literary  productions  of  Sir  Walter  are 
very  numerous,  and,  until  a  critical  examination  shall  have  final- 
ly decided  on  their  authenticity,  we  may  safely,  perhaps,  follow 
Cayley,  who  gives  a  list  of  them,  amounting  in  number  to  thir- 
ty-two.— Life  of  Raleigh,  ii.,  186.  More  recently,  a  collection 
of  his  works,  designed  to  comprise  them  all,  has  been  publish- 
ed at  Oxford,  8  vols.  8vo. — H.] 


RALEIGH.  359 

The  walls  of  the  Tower,  though  they  may 
keep  out  friends,  cannot  shut  out  misfortune. 
During  the  seventh  year  of  Sir  Walter's  so- 
journ there,  his  estate  at  Sherborne,  which 
he  had,  before  his  evil  days  had  come,  settled 
on  his  son,  was  "  lost  in  the  law  for  want  of 
a  word."  James  wanted  it  for  his  new  fa- 
vourite, Carr  ;  the  instrument  of  conveyance 
was  examined,  and,  some  words  having  been 
omitted  by  the  inadvertence  of  the  copyist,  it 
was  declared  void,  and  the  estates  passed  to 
a  worthless  minion.* 

A  severer  blow  to  Raleigh  was  the  death 
of  Prince  Henry,  the  king's  eldest  son,  who 
loved  him  for  his  virtues  and  pitied  him  for 
his  sufferings.  He  used  to  say  "  that  no  king 
but  his  father  would  keep  such  a  bird  in  a 
cage."  A  strong  affection  had  grown  up  be- 
tween them,  and  Raleigh  wrote  several  works 
a'  his  instance  and  for  his  use.t  So  long  as 

*  [As  a  recompense  the  king  gave  him  jESOOO,  a  sum  not 
much  greater  than  the  annual  rent  of  the  estate.  His  son  Ca- 
rew  endeavoured  to  gain  a  restoration  of  this  estate,  but  King 
James  said  "  he  appeared  to  him  like  the  ghost  of  his  father," 
and  the  remark  drove  him  from  the  court.  King  Charles  had 
promised  that  the  present  possessors  should  not  be  disturbed, 
and  would  not  consent  to  his  restoration  in  blood  without  his 
formally  renouncing  all  title  to  Sherborne. — Sir  Walter  Ra- 
leigh's Troubles.— H.] 

t  [Birch's  Life  of  Prince  Henry,  235,  236,  and  392.  See 
also  Lord  Somers's  Tracts,  i.,  412. — H.] 


360  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

this  noble  young  prince  lived,  he  had  good 
hopes  of  liberation.  His  early  death  was 
a  double  loss  to  Sir  Walter,  in  his  present 
enjoyment  and  in  his  expectations  of  the  fu- 
ture. He  speaks  of  it*  as  "  the  loss  of  that 
brave  prince,  of  which,  like  an  eclipse  of  the 
sun,  we  shall  find  the  effects  hereafter." 

Yet  death  did  not  select  his  friends  only. 
Sir  Robert  Cecil,  his  bitterest  enemy,  had 
also  passed  away  from  earth,  less  regretted 
than  the  man  whom  he  had  forsaken  and 
persecuted.  The  influence  of  Carr  was  giv- 
ing way  before  the  rising  favour  of  Villiers. 
Sir  Ralph  Winwood,  not  a  great,  but  an  hon- 
est man,  was  now  secretary  of  state. 

Raleigh  had-  long  entertained  the  wish  to 
be  allowed  to  prosecute  his  discoveries  in 
Guiana.  From  time  to  time  he  had  sent 
thither  for  information,  and  some  of  the  na- 
tives of  that  country  had  been  brought  1  o 
conference  with  him  in  the  Tower.  He  haa 
received  what  he  asserted  to  be  satisfactory 
evidence  of  the  existence  of  a  gold  mine  there, 
which,  if  at  liberty,  he  would  work.  Cecil 
had  rejected  his  applications  to  this  effect, 
but  Winwood  listened  to  him.  Nothing  was 
needed  but  a  whim  to  secure  the  king's  con- 
*  [In  his  History  of  the  World.— H.] 


RALEIGH.  361 

sent.  This  was  supplied  by  the  influence  of 
Villiers,  and  that  influence  was  purchased 
by  the  payment  of  £1500  to  his  two  uncles ; 
and  finally,  after  twelve  years'  delay,  James 
granted  to  the  simple  asking  of  a  favourite 
what  he  had  so  long  refused  to  humanity  and 
justice.  Sir  Walter  was  released  March  17, 
1616. 

He  now  devoted  himself,  with  an  ardour 
augmented  by  his  long  restraint,  to  his  cher- 
ished scheme  of  a  golden  expedition  to  Gui- 
ana. He  appropriated  to  this  purpose  the 
£8000  he  had  received  for  his  estate  at  Sher- 
borne  ;  and,  to  further  the  same,  his  wife  sold 
her  estate  for  £2500.  He  thus  staked  his 
fortune,  as  well  as  his  reputation,  on  this  issue. 
He  built  at  his  own  expense  a  ship,  the  Des- 
tiny, which  mounted  thirty-six  guns  and  car- 
ried two  hundred  men.  Encouraged  by  his 
zeal,  many  merchants  and  private  adventur- 
ers flocked  to  join  the  enterprise.  After  some 
opposition  from  Count  Gondomar,  the  Span- 
ish ambassador,  whose  objections  to  it  as  a 
piratical  scheme  against  the  Spanish  settle- 
ments in  the  West  Indies  seem  to  have  been 
easily  removed,  Raleigh  received  a  commis- 
sion, dated  Aug.  26th,  1616,  under  the  privy 
seal,  apoointing  him  commander  of  the  fleet 


362  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

and  governor  of  the  new  country.  The  fleet, 
consisting  of  fourteen  sail,  was  ready  in  the 
spring  of  1617,  and  on  the  28th  of  March 
dropped  down  the  Thames,  and,  having  been 
long  detained  by  storms,  reached  Guiana  on 
the  12th  of  November. 

Here  Raleigh  was  taken  severely  ill,  and, 
being  unable  to  lead  the  expedition  up  the 
river  in  person,  gave  the  command  of  five 
ships  and  some  three  hundred  men  for  that 
purpose  to  Captain  Keymis,  who  had  explo- 
red the  country  under  his  directions  in  1596. 
His  orders  to  Keymis  were  to  penetrate  to 
the  mine,  and  bring  away  at  least  a  few  bas- 
kets of  the  ore,  to  satisfy  the  king  that  the 
mine  was  not  a  mere  dream ;  and,  in  case  he 
should  be  attacked,  to  repel  force  by  force. 
The  five  vessels  sailed  December  10th,  and 
soon  reached  Santa  Thome,  a  garrisoned 
town  of  240  houses,  built  by  the  Spaniards 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river.  Keymis  land- 
ed in  the  night,  and  took  his  position  between 
the  town  and  the  mine.  During  the  night 
they  were  attacked  by  the  Spaniards,  whom 
they  repulsed  and  pursued  to  Saint  Thomas, 
which  they  entered.  The  governor  of  the 
town,  Palameque,  was  slain,  and  the  English, 
galled  by  shots  from  the  houses,  set  it  on  fire 


RALEIGH.  363 

and  consumed  it.  Keymis  set  out  immedi- 
ately with  a  small  party  for  the  mine,  and 
on  the  route  was  attacked  by  a  body  of  the 
fugitive  Spaniards  and  forced  to  retreat,  with 
some  loss.  By  this  disaster  he  was  so  much 
discouraged  that  he  abandoned  the  town  and 
hastily  sailed  back  to  join  his  general.  Soon 
after  his  return,  mortified  by  his  failure,  and 
stung  by  the  indignant  reproaches  of  Raleigh, 
Keymis  committed  suicide. 

The  enterprise  had  thus  been  frustrated, 
and  Raleigh  thought  it  not  prudent,  or  was 
not  in  a  condition  to  resume  it.  Disappoint- 
ed and  sad,  he  turned  away  from  a  region 
where  so  many  bright  hopes  had  faded,  set 
sail  for  Newfoundland,  and,  after  a  brief  stay 
there,  bent  his  course  for  England.  The 
news  of  his  defeat  and  of  the  burning  of  Santa 
Thome  had  arrived  there  before  him  ;  the  re- 
sentment of  the  Spanish  ambassador  had  been 
strongly  expressed  ;  and  James  at  once  pub- 
lished a  proclamation,  inviting  all  who  had 
any  knowledge  of  his  doings  to  testify  before 
the  privy-council,  and  wrote  to  the  King  of 
Spain,  submitting  it  to  his  discretion  whether 
Raleigh  should  receive  his  punishment  in 
England  or  in  Spain.  His  fate  was  decreed 
without  trial  or  reply,  and  this  indecent  haste 

was  allowed  to  gratify  the  court  of  Spain. 
r T?» 


364  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

The  connexion  of  Gondomar  and  the  Span- 
iards with  the  death  of  Raleigh  was  too  im- 
portant to  be  passed  without  some  notice. 
Many  circumstances  concur  to  show  a  long- 
cherished  purpose,  on  their  part,  to  bring  him 
to  the  block.  He  had  long  been  their  avow- 
ed enemy,  and  their  most  formidable  one  in 
England.  He  had  fought  and  conquered 
them,  spoken  against  them  in  Parliament, 
and  written  against  them  with  profound  wis- 
dom and  bitter  hatred.  With  his  dislike  was 
mingled  somewhat  of  contempt.  "  It  were," 
he  had  said,*  "  a  horrible  dishonour  to  be 
overreached  by  any  of  those  .dry  and  subtle- 
headed  Spaniards."  The  dislike  and  suspi- 
cion seem  to  have  been  mutual.  From  the 
moment  of  his  entering  upon  the  plan  of  his 
last  voyage  to  Guiana,  every  particular  of  his 
movements  was  carefully  communicated  to 
the  Spanish  court.  These  particulars  were 
at  once  sent  to  the  Spanish  governors  in 
America.  In  the  plunder  taken  at  Santa 
Thome  were  letters  from  the  King  of  Spain 
referring  to  his  expedition,  with  a  minute  ac- 
count of  his  course  and  armament,  and  dated 
before  his  departure  from  the  Thames. t  So 

*  [In  his  Discourse  on  the  Marriage  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
-H.] 

t  [See  the  Hardwicke  State  Papers,  i.,  398.— H.] 


RALEIGH.  365 

completely  was  James,  whose  heart  was  now 
set  on  the  Spanish  match,  under  the  influence 
of  Gondomar,  and  Raleigh  an  object  of  watch- 
ful jealousy. 

James  seems  to  have  felt  that  the  recent 
acts  of  Sir  "Walter  would  hardly  justify  his 
execution.  He  had  ample  proof  of  his  sin- 
cere belief  in  the  existence  of  the  gold  mine : 
he  must  have  known  that  in  the  affair  of  San- 
ta Thome  the  Spaniards  were  the  aggressors, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  resort  to  conjectures, 
assertions,  and  remote  circumstances  to  make 
out  anything  like  a  case  of  intended  depre- 
dation and  plunder.  Accordingly,  from  the 
day  of  his  arrest  till  his  final  sentence,  he  was 
surrounded  with  spies,  and  beset  with  every 
snare  that  might  entrap  him  into  an  unwary 
confession,  or  some  act  that  might  be  con- 
strued into  guilt.  He  was  arrested  when  on 
his  way  to  London  by  his  false  kinsman  Sir 
Lewis  Stukely,  who  proposed  and  thwarted 
several  plans  for  his  escape.  Manourie,  a 
Frenchman,  was  also  employed  to  aid  in  this 
perfidious  business.  After  he  was  confined 
in  the  Tower,  Sir  Thomas  Wilson  was  ap- 
pointed his  keeper,  and  secretly  commission- 
ed as  a  spy.  Learned  but  mean,  and  refined 
but  cruel,  he  played  his  part  well,  and  daily 


366  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

reported  to  the  king  the  petty  items  of  infor- 
mation he  had  succeeded  in  extracting  from 
his  illustrious  prisoner.  His  letters  to  his  wife 
were  intercepted  to  furnish  matter  of  accusa- 
tion, and  read  by  the  king.  Yet  there  was 
on  his  part  no  confession  or  intimation  of 
guilt.  The  only  act  which  could  be  thought 
to  look  that  way  was  his  attempt  to  escape — 
half  formed  and  speedily  repented  of — an  act 
springing,  as  he  said  in  his  letter  to  the  king, 
"  from  a  life-saving  natural  impulsion,  with 
out  an  ill  intent." 

But  the  marriage  of  Prince  Charles  with 
the  Infanta  must  be  effected ;  the  Spanish 
court  were  urgent ;  and  delay,  which  was 
found  ineffectual  for  the  purpose  of  crimina- 
tion, was  now  useless.  The  only  question 
remaining  was  under  what  form  of  law  Sir 
Walter  might  most  properly,  to  save  the  ap- 
pearance of  justice,  be  brought  to  the  scaf- 
fold. Several  devices  were  proposed  and 
rejected.  The  new  charge  against  him  must 
not  be  made  the  ground  of  his  sentence,  for 
that  charge  would  not  bear  examination. 
The  king,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  wisdom, 
was  at  fault.  It  was  finally  decided  that  the 
former  sentence  should  be  revived,  and  that 
he  should  be  brought,  on  a  writ  of  Habeas 


RALEIGH.  367 

Corpus,  before  the  judges  of  the  King's 
Bench,  to  give  answer  why  that  decree,  which 
had  slumbered  now  fifteen  years,  should  not 
be  executed.  "  He  was  condemned,"  says 
his  son  Carew,  "  for  being  a  friend  to  the 
Spaniards,  and  lost  his  life  for  being  their  bit- 
ter enemy."  He  was  brought  up  Oct.  24th, 
1618,  and  interrupted  in  his  defence  with  the 
information  that  no  plea  could  be  admitted 
except  special  words  of  pardon :"  whereupon 
he  threw  himself  upon  the  king's  mercy. 
There  was  no  mercy  for  him,  and  on  the  28th 
he  was  again  brought  to  the  bar  to  receive 
final  sentence.  On  his  return  to  prison,  he 
was  told  he  must  prepare  to  die  the  follow- 
ing morning.  The  sentence  was  received 
with  calmness,  and  on  his  way  back  to  the 
prison  he  said  cheerfully  to  the  friends  who 
were  with  him,  that  the  world  was  but  a  lar- 
ger prison,  from  which  some  are  every  day 
selected  for  execution.  Hasty  as  the  sum- 
mons was,  neither  did  his  wonted  fortitude 
forsake  him,  nor  did  the  consolations  of  reli- 
gion fail  him. 

The  evening  before  the  day  that  was  to  end 
his  life  was  passed  by  him  in  a  careful  prep- 
aration for  the  life  to  come.  The  few  items 
of  business  which  yet  remained  to  him  were 


368  AMERICAN     BIOGRAPHY. 

arranged.  About  midnight  his  wife,  whose 
love  was  as  tender  as  it  had  been  faithful, 
took  the  last  farewell.  When  she  told  him 
that  his  remains  had  been  placed  at  her  dis- 
posal,  "  It  is  well,  Bess,"  said  he,  with  a 
smile,  "  that  thou  mayst  dispose  of  that  dead 
thou  hadst  not  always  the  disposing  of  when 
alive."  Before  composing  himself  to  sleep, 
he  wrote  a  few  memoranda  touching  the 
false  reports  and  charges  against  him,  and, 
turning  to  his  devotions,  wrote  on  a  blank 
leaf  of  his  Bible  these  lines  : 

Even  such  is  Time,  that  takes  on  trust 
Our  youth,  our  joys,  our  all  we  have, 

And  pays  us  with  but  age  and  dust ; 
Who  in  the  dark  and  silent  grave, 

When  we  have  wandered  all  our  ways, 
Shuts  up  the  story  of  our  days ! 

But  from  this  earth,  this  grave,  this  dust, 

The  Lord  shall  raise  me  up,  I  trust. 

Early  the  next  morning  he  received  the 
holy  communion  from  the  hands  of  the  DeaK 
of  "Westminster,  expressing  a  firm  assurance 
of  the  love  and  favour  of  God,  and  a  free 
forgiveness  of  all  his  enemies,  and  by  name 
of  those  who  had  betrayed  him.  He  showed 
no  fear  of  death,  and  yet  made  no  parade  of 
courage,  but  rather  manifested  a  truly  Chris- 
tian resignation  and  cheerfulness.  After 


RALEIGH.  369 

these  religious  services  he  partook  heartily 
of  the  breakfast  prepared  for  him,  smoked  a 
pipe  of  tobacco,  as  his  custom  was,  and  drank 
a  cup  of  sack.  Being  asked  if  he  liked  it, 
he  replied,  "  Ay,  'tis  good  drink,  if  a  man 
might  tarry  by  it."  He  then  withdrew  to 
arrange  his  dress,  which  was  a  plain  but  rich 
mourning  suit  of  black  satin  and  velvet. 

As  the  hour  of  nine  drew  near,  he  was  led 
to  the  place  of  execution  in  the  Old  Palace 
Yard.  A  large  crowd  had  assembled  to  wit- 
ness the  heroism  of  his  death,  and  among 
them  many  nobles  and  knights  who  were  his 
friends.  As  he  ascended  the  scaffold  he  sa- 
luted them  gracefully,  and  proclamation  for 
silence  being  made,  he  addressed  them  in  a 
short  speech,  vindicating  the  various  passages 
of  his  life,  and  especially  that  touching  the 
death  of  the  Earl  of  Essex,  and  expressing  his 
Christian  hope  in  the  article  of  death.*  He 

*  [See  an  account  of  the  last  hours  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  in 
a  letter  from  Thomas  Lakin  to  Sir  Thomas  Puckering.  The 
letter  is  dated  Nov.  3d,  1618,  and  may  be  found  in  Cayley,  Ap- 
pendix xvii.  He  says,  "  His  end  was,  by  the  general  report  of 
all  that  were  present,  very  Christianlike,  and  so  full  of  resolu- 
tion as  moved  all  men  to  pity  and  wonder."  His  last  address 
is  termed  "  a  most  grave,  Christian,  and  elegant  discourse." 
He  adds,  "  he  seemed  as  free  from  all  manner  of  apprehension 
as  if  he  had  been  come  thither  rather  to  be  a  spectator  than  a 
sufferer ;  nay,  the  beholders  seemed  much  more  sensible  than 
did  he."— H.] 


370  AMERICAN    BIOGRAPHY. 

then  embraced  his  friends  and  took  leave  of 
them.  Having  put  off  his  gown  and  doublet, 
he  asked  to  see  the  axe,  and,  having  taken 
it,  he  passed  his  finger  lightly  along  the  edge, 
saying,  "  'Tis  a  sharp  remedy,  but  a  sound 
cure  for  all  diseases."  Then,  having  finish- 
ed his  devotions,  he  laid  his  head  upon  the 
block,  and  being  told  to  place  himself  so  that 
his  face  might  look  towards  the  east,  he  said, 
"  No  matter  how  the  head  lie  so  the  heart  be 
right."  After  a  brief  interval,  in  which  the 
motion  of  his  lips  showed  him  to  be  engaged 
in  prayer,  he  gave  the  signal.  The  execu- 
tioner hesitating,  he  slightly  raised  his  head, 
and  said,  "  What  dost  thou  fear  ?  Strike, 
man  !"  At  two  blows  the  head  was  severed 
from  the  body,  "  which  never  shrunk  or  al- 
tered its  position."  His  relics  were  given  to 
his  now  desolate  widow.  Thus  passed  away 
one  of  earth's  bright  spirits ;  sometimes  fit- 
ful, always  brilliant,  and  at  the  last  serene.] 


END    OF    VOL.    I. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


A  001  046  807  2 


E 

187.5 
B41a 
1855 

Y.I 


